Liothrips heptapleuricola (Takahashi)

Wang, Chin-Ling & Lin, Feng-Chyi, 2020, Genera and species of the Liothrips lineage (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) from Taiwan, Zootaxa 4861 (3), pp. 349-375 : 360-361

Liothrips heptapleuricola (Takahashi)

( Fig. 35–42 )

Smerinthothrips heptapleuricola Takahashi, 1937: 341–343 .

Female macroptera. Body length 2.1–2.3 mm. Color brown; antennal segments I and II brown, same colour as head, except distal portion of II yellowish, III–VI and basal 1/3 of VII yellow, most of VII and VIII greyish brown; all femora brown, fore tibiae yellow, mid and hind tibiae brown, except apices yellow, all tarsi yellow; fore wings pale brown with a darker stripe; major body setae brown.

Head 1.3 times as long as wide ( Fig. 35 ), with regular reticulation on dorsum anterior to and between eyes, followed by transverse reticles; cheeks with 3–4 pairs of short setae, po setae blunt, shorter than length of eyes; maxillary stylets retracted to level of po setae, about 1/5 of head width apart; mouth cone wide and rounded ( Fig. 36 ); antennal segment III 1.5 times, segment IV 1.3 times as long as II ( Fig. 42 ). Pronotum with 5 pairs of major setae ( Fig. 37 ), all blunt, aa setae longer than am setae, shorter than other pairs; mesopresternum boat shape, some with irregular margins ( Fig. 39 ); metanotal sculpture dense and longitudinal; fore wing with 11–15 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular, 2–4 short setae on each side ( Fig. 38 ), CPS absent; tergite II laterally with 3–4 accessary setae ( Fig. 40 ), tube straight-sided, about same length as head ( Fig. 41 ).

Male macroptera. Body length 1.8–2.0 mm; colour and shape similar to female.

Specimens examined. Taiwan, Taihoku (Taipei), Syntype 16 females, 7 males, from leave galls of Heptapleurinum arboricolum, 31.x.1936 (Takahashi) ; 15 females, 5 males, Lianhuachi (Nantou), from Schefflera arboricola , 27.ix.1992 .

Comments. As indicated above, Takahashi described this species from specimens taken on leaves of Heptapleurinum arboricolum (= Schefflera arboricola ) at Sozan near Taihoku. Specimens deposited in TARI have the same data as with the original type description, and these specimens are here assumed to be syntypes. Takahashi pointed out that this species differs from heptapleurinus in two insignificant characters: colour of the leaf galls and shapes of the mouth cone ( Takahashi 1937). Our further studies showed that these two species can be distinguished as follows: heptapleuricola po setae about 0.5 as long as dorsal length of eyes; pronotal am setae shorter than aa setae; pelta without CPS but with setae present laterally. In contrast, heptapleurinus po setae are longer than eyes; pronotal am setae are longer than aa setae; pelta is with CPS but without setae laterally.

Figures

FIGURES 35–42. Liothrips heptalpleuricola: (35) head; (36) mouth cone; (37) pronotum; (38) pelta; (39) mesopresternum; (40) tergite II; (41) tube; (42) shape of antenna.