Dendrothrips saudicus, Rasool & Mound & Soliman & Aldhafer, 2021

Rasool, Iftekhar, Mound, Laurence A., Soliman, Ahmed M. & Aldhafer, Hathal M., 2021, The Dendrothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) of SaudiArabia, withnew records one new species, and revised status of Pseudodendrothrips stuardoi (Moulton), Zootaxa 4999 (3), pp. 219-227 : 221-222

Dendrothrips saudicus sp.n.

Female macroptera: Body mainly yellow ( Fig. 21 ), antennal segments I–II yellow, III–IV light brown, V–IX dark brown; pronotum, legs and pterothorax shaded brown irregularly, metapleura dark; abdominal segments III–VIII with lateral brown areas; fore wings pale with two transverse darker bands; clavus brown at apex.

Head with irregular weak sculpture lines on ocellar area with no internal markings; ocellar setae III no longer than diameter of an ocellus, arising in front of hind ocelli on lateral margin of triangle ( Fig. 1 ); maxillary palps 2 - segmented. Antennae 9 - segmented, III–IV with sense cone forked, VI with inner sense cone arising about on basal third of segment, extending to basal third of segment IX; microtrichia rows present on segments II–V and base of VI. Pronotum with irregular transverse reticulation, without internal markings; pronotal disc setae minute, posterior margin with 4–5 pairs of setae scarcely longer than discal setae, posteroangular setae no more than 15 microns long ( Fig. 1 ). Mesonotum anterior half transversely reticulate, posterior half rugose without sculpture lines; metanotum longitudinally striate medially, irregular longitudinal reticulation laterally. Fore wings without microtrichia on interveinal membranes except rows of microtrichia at the veins, first vein with 8–9 minute setae, second vein with about 3 setae; clavus with one discal and 2 veinal setae, each no more than 5 microns long, also one terminal seta 15 microns long. Abdominal tergites III–VIII lateral thirds with transverse reticulations, posterior reticles on each tergite with weak longitudinal lines; posterior margin of tergites II–VII with 8–12 minute microtrichia medially; posterior margin of tergite VIII with complete comb of fine microtrichia, IX–X with microtrichia across posterior half of both segments ( Fig. 5 ); pleurotergites sculptured without internal markings. Sternite with weak lines of sculptures laterally, IV–VII each with 3 pairs of small posteromarginal setae, without discal setae; anterior half of sternite VII with one pair of minute discal setae.

Measurements of holotype female in microns: Body length 1100. Head, length 100; width 185; ocellar setae III 8. Pronotum, length 95; width 215; posteroangular setae 13. Fore wing length 800. Metanotal median setae 10. Tergite IX major setae 40–50. Antennal segments I–IX length, 12; 35; 38; 35; 30; 25; 10; 10; 12.

Material studied. Holotype female, SAUDI ARABIA, Al Baha, Baljurashi, Jarab-Baljurashi Rd., beaten from leaves of Coccinia grandis [ Cucurbitaceae ], 22.ix.2020 (19°49.894’N 41°42.583’E) Alt. 1930 m, (Rasool, I) (in Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt). Paratypes, two females collected with holotype ( KSMA); Al Baha city, one female from leaves of Ficus carica [ Moraceae ], one female beaten from leaves of Pomegranate near Ficus carica , 23.ix.2020, (Rasool, I) ( KSMA).

Comments. This new species is similar to the description of D. priesneri from the Canary Islands, but that was described as having the body and fore wings uniformly pale. In contrast, this new species has dark areas laterally on tergites III–VIII, the head, metanotum and legs have irregular light brown shadings, and the fore wing has two transverse shaded bands with the clavus brown at the apex. Moreover, the ocellar setae are only 5–8 microns long, whereas in priesneri the ocellar setae were described as 14–19 microns long.

Figures

FIGURES 21–24. Dendrothripinae species: (21) Dendrothrips saudicus sp. n. (22) Pseudodendrothrips aegyptiacus. (23) P. stuardoi female. (24) P. stuardoi male.

FIGURES 1–7. Dendrothrips saudicus sp. n.: (1) Head & pronotum; (2) Metanotum; (3) Tergites V–VI; (4) Antennae; (5) Tergites VI–X; (6, 7) Fore wing (arrows indicate microtrichia on veins).