Hydatothrips bahaensis Rasool, 2021

Rasool, Iftekhar, Soliman, Ahmed M., Alattal, Yehya Zaki & Al Dhafer, Hathal M., 2021, The Thripidae subfamily Sericothripinae (Thysanoptera) from Saudi Arabia with a new species of Hydatothrips Karny, Zootaxa 4908 (1), pp. 29-40 : 32

Hydatothrips bahaensis Rasool sp. n.

( Figs 8–14 , 34, 35 )

Female macroptera. Body reddish brown ( Fig. 34 ); antennal segments I–IV yellow, IV brown at apex, V–VIII brown; head, pronotum, pterothorax and abdominal segments I–VII reddish brown; meso and metasternal plates, abdominal VIII–X and legs dark brown; fore wing brown with sub basal band paler ( Fig. 14 ); clavus brown but pale at extreme apex. Head with occipital apodeme touching posterior margin of eyes and ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle with irregular widely spaced transverse striae, with longitudinal lines of internal markings; setae pair III arise inside ocellar triangle ( Fig. 8 ). Antenna 8-segmented. Pronotum with one pair of minute posteroangular setae, transversely reticulate, with internal markings in reticles, pronotal blotch transversely reticulate, with internal longitudinal lines ( Fig. 8 ); mesonotum transversely striate, with irregular internal markings; metanotum longitudinally reticulate, with internal markings, median and sub median setal pairs arising at anterior margin ( Fig. 10 ); anterior margin of metasternal plate deeply emarginate ( Fig. 9 ); fore wing with sub basal band longer than wide ( Fig. 14 ), second vein without setae ( Fig. 14 ). Tergites I–VIII with rows of dense microtrichia laterally; tergites III–VII with microtrichia medially; tergites III–VI with setae S3 arising well ahead of posterior margin, with 6–8 further setae lateral to S3 ( Fig. 11 ); tergites II–V without posteromarginal microtrichia medially; tergites VII–VIII with complete comb of microtrichia; tergite IX with 2 pairs of mid-dorsal setae ( Fig. 13 ); tergite X with few microtrichia posteriorly and without median split; sternites III–VI completely covered with microtrichia medially, posterior margin with comb of microtrichia medially ( Fig. 12 ); posterior setae at sternite VII arising in front of posterior margin.

Measurements (holotype Female): Body length 1250; Head length 105, width 180; pronotum length 120, width 225; ovipositor length 230; ocellar setae pair III 14; metanotum median setae 26; fore wing length 775; antennal segments I–VIII 25, 35, 62, 60, 50, 60, 15, 15 respectively; tergite IX S1 setae 57.

Female paratypes: Body length 1142–1250; Head length 95–105, width 174–180; pronotum length 110–120, width 220–225; ovipositor length 220–230; ocellar setae pair III 12–14; metanotum median setae 24–26; fore wing wing length 763–775; antennal segments I–VIII length 23–25, 32–35, 57–62, 55–60, 46–50, 55–60, 12–15, 12–15 respectively; tergite IX S1 setae 55–57.

Male macroptera. Similar to female, but smaller in size; sternites VI–VII with transverse pore plate.

Measurements (male paratype): Body length 900; head length 75, width 145; pronotum length 145, width 175; ocellar setae pair III 10; metanotum median setae 23; fore wing length 580; antennal segments I–VIII length 20, 35, 50, 45, 45, 50, 14, 14 respectively; tergite IX S1 setae 50.

Larvae II. Body yellowish ( Fig. 39 ); antennae, coxae, outer margin of all tibiae and abdominal segment IX with gray; antennae 7-segmented; pterothorax with three lateral dark spots, which are absent on pronotum. Major body setae brown with broadly expanded apex (about three times as wide as base) arising from brown ring. Length of setae 15–20 excluding basal ring, width at apex 12–15, width at base of setae 5.

Etymology: The specific epithet is a Latinized adjective form based on ‘Al Baha’ area from where this new species was collected.

Material studied. Holotype female, SAUDI ARABIA, Al Baha, AL Makhwa, Thee Ain Village , breeding and feeding on leaves of Pergularia sp., 25.ix.2020, (19°55.776’N 41°26.598’E Alt. 741 m), BT, (Rasool, I.) ( KSMA) . Paratypes: 142 females, 65 males and 27 larvae, the same data as holotype ; 13 females and 2 males from leaves of Pergularia sp., 15 females and 7 males from Boerhavia diffusa , the same locality as holotype except 7.iv.2019; Al Baha, Shada Al-Ala Natural Reserve , 4 females, from grasses, 8.iv.2019, (19°50.411’N 41°18.686’E Alt, 1611 m); same locality , 12 females from Boerhavia diffusa , 8.ix.2019, (19°50.575’N 41°18.691’E Alt. 1666 m), BT, (Rasool I.) ( KSMA) .

Comments. None of the species described in the genus Hydatothrips (except H. boerhaaviae ) has the following combination of characters: setae S3 on tergites IV–VI arising far from posterior margin, with 6–7 setae lateral to S3; head, pronotum and pterothorax with wrinkles inside; sternites II–VII completely covered with microtrichia medially, posterior margin with comb of microtrichia medially; male with transverse pore plate on sternites VI–VII; fore wing second vein without setae, costal setae at middle of fore wing about as long as width of wing in middle. The new species differs from H. boerhaaviae by having: ocellar setae III arising in the middle of the ocellar triangle anterior to hind ocelli (ocellar setae III arise at outer margin of triangle in H. boerhaaviae ); reddish brown body ( H. boerhaaviae bicolored, with predominantly yellow body, except abdominal segments II–III and VI brownish).

Figures

FIGURES 8–14. Hydatothrips bahaensis sp. n. female. (8) Head and pronotum; (9) Metasternal plate; (10) Meso- and metanotum; (11) Tergites IV–VI; (12) Sternites IV–VI; (13) Tergites VII–X; (14) Fore wing.

FIGURES 32–35. Adult habitus of Hydatothrips spp.: (32, 33) adolfifriderici (Female and male respectively); (34, 35) bahaensis sp. n. (Female and male respectively).

FIGURES 36–40. Adult and larval Sericothripinae: (36, 37) N. amygdali (Female and male respectively); (38) N. samayunkur (Female). (39) H. bahaensis sp. n. larva. (40) N. amygdali larva.