Liothrips brevitubus Karny, 1912

Wang, Chin-Ling & Lin, Feng-Chyi, 2020, Genera and species of the Liothrips lineage (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) from Taiwan, Zootaxa 4861 (3), pp. 349-375 : 356

Liothrips brevitubus Karny

( Figs 13–19 )

Liothrips brevitubus Karny, 1912: 156 .

Described originally from Java, this species was subsequently described from Taiwan by Moulton (1928a) under the name Liothrips malloti and also L. malloti var. flavicornis . It appears to live on Mallotus species, but there is no record of the precise host plant.

Female macroptera. Body length 2.1–2.2 mm on slide. Head and thorax brown, abdomen dark brown; antennal segment I and most of II brown, same colour as head, III–VI and most of VII yellow, distal end of VII and segment VIII greyish brown; fore femora brown, fore tibiae yellow, mid and hind femora and tibiae brown, all tarsi yellow; fore wings pale brown with a darker stripe; major body setae brown.

Head length about 1.4 times of width ( Fig. 13 ), po setae blunt, longer than eyes; maxillary stylets retracted only to posterior third of head, moderately separated, about 1/3 of head width; antennal segment III 1.4 times, IV 1.5 times as long as II ( Fig. 19 ). Pronotum with 5 pairs of strong setae, am setae equal to aa setae in length ( Fig. 14 ); mesopresternum separated into 2 parts ( Fig. 15 ); metanotum covered with dense longitudinal striae ( Fig. 18 ). Pelta triangular with flat apex ( Fig. 16 ); tergite II laterally with 2–5 accessary setae ( Fig. 17 ); tube a little shorter than head.

Specimens examined: Taiwan, Mt. Daiton (Taipei), 20 adults with larvae and pupae from Mallotus sp., 29.iv.1935 (Takahashi) [on 3 slides]; Rokki (Kaohsiung), 2 females, 1 male from Mallotus sp., 19.v.1935 (Takahashi) .

Figures

FIGURES 13–19. Liothrips brevitubus: (13) head; (14) pronotum; (15) mesopresternum; (16) pelta; (17) tergite II; (18) metanotum; (19) shape of antenna.