Meiothrips menoni Ananthakrishnan, 1964

Dang, Li-Hong & Qiao, Ge-Xia, 2012, The genus Meiothrips Priesner (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae, Idolothripinae) with a key and a new species from China, ZooKeys 177, pp. 59-68 : 62

Meiothrips menoni Ananthakrishnan, 1964 Figs 20-22

Meiothrips menoni Ananthakrishnan 1964: 99; 1971: 203; 1973: 111; Palmer and Mound 1978: 210.

Material examined.

8 females and 15 males: China, Yunnan Province, coll. Y.F. Han from withered tree leaves, 17-20.xi.1988 (slides Nos. 14214-14222, 14399), and 27. iii– 22.iv.1997 (slides Nos. 21026-21033, 22279, 22795-22796, 22443); 1 male: China, Hainan Province, coll. W.Q. Zhang from withered tree leaves, 5.iv.1984.

Distribution.

China (Yunnan, Hainan); India, Thailand, Malaysia.

Comments.

This species is mainly distributed in South Asia. It was described originally from India by Ananthakrishnan (1964) from only one female. The specimens in this study are very similar to the original description, but the mid- and hind tibiae are similar to specimens from Malaysia and Thailand with a dark brown sub-basal mark and a narrow paler brown subapically. Palmer and Mound (1978) discussed the differences of the specimens from India, Malaysia and Thailand. The specimens in this study with long and pale pronotal major setae and head setae are more similar to the Indian specimens than the specimens from Malaysia and Thailand with short and dark setae, although specimens from Thailand have long pronotal pa and am. Further studies are needed combining the morphological and molecular evidence.