Meiothrips fuscicrus, Dang, Li-Hong & Qiao, Ge-Xia, 2012

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 : 60-62

Meiothrips fuscicrus sp. n. Figs 1-19

Male macroptera.

Body uniformly dark brown; antennal segments I–II brown, III yellow but shaded in distal and near basal part, IV–V shaded but yellow in distal pedicels 0.3-0.4, VI–VIII brown; fore wings shaded with brown longitudinal band medially in basal half; femora dark brown but about basal 2/3 and extreme distal of hind femora yellow (Figs 7, 16), tarsi, distal half and extreme bases of tibiae yellow; tube dark brown; major setae yellowish.

Head 2.3 times as long as width across eyes, projecting in front of eyes, transversely striate; interocellar setae long, longer than width of one eye, one pair of postocellar setae about 1.7 times as long as diameter of posterior ocellus; eyes developed, about 0.4 of head length, postocular setae and one pair of postocular cheek setae similar with postocellar setae; mid-dorsal setae longest; cheeks with several pairs of minor setae. Maxillary stylets wide apart, retracted into head one fourth way to posterior margin of eyes (Figs 2, 13). Antennal segment III 2.2 times as long as head width across eyes (Figs 1, 13), III with 2 sensoria, IV with 4, V with 2, VI and VII each with one, these sensoria on III and IV about 2.0 times as long as apical width of segment, segments VI–VII with a short apical, ventral prolongation.

Pronotum smooth, anterior margin concave; three pairs of am, one pair almost as long as aa epima much shorter than one third of longest epim (Figs 3, 14); prosternal basantra around the tip of mouth-cone, ferna triangular. Mesopraesternum boat-shaped (Fig. 5). Metanotal median setae well developed, metanotum smooth on anterior third, with weak reticulate sculpture on posterior half (Figs 4, 15); metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Fore wings broad, with 42 duplicated cilia.

Pelta with reticulate sculpture slightly longitudinal (Figs 8, 15); abdominal segments VI–VIII without lateral tubercles (Fig. 9); tergite IX setae much shorter than tube; tube about 2.3 times as long as head, weakly constricted near apex, with about 20 pairs of stout tubercles and many small tubercles (Figs 10, 11, 17, 18), laterally with few weak setae. Sternites with irregular transverse row of discal setae, no pore plates.

Measurements (male in microns). Body length 8171. Head, length 787; width across eyes 342; interocellar setae 105, postocellar setae 62, diameter of posterior ocellus 36; postocular setae 63, postocular cheek setae 59; mid-dorsal setae 162. Antennal segments III–VIII length (maximum width), 758 (51), 437 (49), 379 (48), 306 (35), 83 (29), 89 (18), sensoria of segment III length 101. Pronotum length (maximum width) 336 (553); setae length, am 68, aa 67, ml 75, epim 190, epima 26, pa 109, pm 24. Metanotal median setae length 288. Pelta length 191, width 568. Tergite IX setae S1 141, S2 130. Tube length 1876, stout tubercles length 50, anal setae length 337.

Female macroptera.

Similar to male but larger. Tube smooth with many prominent lateral setae (Figs 12, 19).

Measurements (female in microns). Body length 8864. Head, length 779; width across eyes 344; interocellar setae 102, postocellar setae 64, diameter of posterior ocellus 35; postocular setae 88, postocular cheek setae 77; mid-dorsal setae 134. Antennal segments III–VIII length (maximum width), 748 (47), 444 (52), 367 (48), 292 (41), 94 (31), 98 (27), sensoria of segment III length 90. Pronotum length (maximum width) 304 (546); setae length, am 51, aa 63, ml?, epim 185, epima 50, pa 142. Metanotum median setae length 304. Pelta length 189, width 667. Tergite IX setae S1 255, S2 320. Tube length 1913, anal setae length 367.

Specimens examined

. Holotype male: China, Yunnan province, coll. M.Y. Lin by shaking withered tree leaves, 7.x.2010 (slides No.JM10058-9). Paratypes: 6 females and 1 male, data as for holotype (slides Nos. JM10058-1, JM10058-5, JM10058-7, JM10058-13, JM10058-15, JM10058-16, JM10058-17).

Remarks.

This species is similar to Meiothrips nepalensis in that the tube of males bears about two rows of stout tubercles also many small tubercles. But the new species can be distinguished by the following characters: fore and mid-femora uniformly dark brown, only hind femora bicolored with about basal 2/3 and extreme distal parts yellow (nepalensis: fore femora uniformly dark brown, mid- and hind femora bicolored with about basal half yellow and apical half dark brown), pronotal am and aa setae about 0.3 times as long as epim setae (nepalensis: am and aa minute, much less than 0.3 times as long as epim).

Etymology.

This species name is composed of two Latin words, "fuscus (= brown)" and "crus (= leg)", based on mid-femora uniformly dark brown.

COI sequences.

We received two sequences of the new species, which include 673bp and 647bp with the GenBank numbers JQ411299 and JQ411300, respectively.