Liothrips piperinus Priesner

(Figs 66–71)

Liothrips piperinus Priesner, 1935: 361–362 .

Described from an unspecified number of females taken in Taiwan in association with Liothrips kuwanai, this species is also recorded widely in southern Japan as well as Hainan Island, China (Okajima 2006; Mound 2020).

Female macroptera. Body length 2.5 mm. Color brown, antennal segments I and II dark brown, same colour as head, III–IV yellow, V & VI yellow with distal half greyish brown, VII &VIII greyish brown; all femora brown, fore tibiae yellow, mid and hind tibiae brown with distal end yellow, all tarsi yellow; fore wings pale brown with a darker stripe; major body setae hyaline.

Head 1.2–1.5 times as long as wide (Fig. 66), cheeks straight; po setae blunt, about same length as eye; maxillary stylets close together medially, reaching po setae; antennal segments III and IV each 1.5 times as long as segment II (Fig. 71), pronotal am setae and aa setae almost equal in length (Fig. 67), shorter than other major pronotal setae; mesopresternum boat-shaped (Fig. 68); metanotal sculpture dense and longitudinal; pelta triangular with 2 CPS (Fig. 69); tergite II laterally with 4–6 accessary setae (Fig. 70); tube shorter than head.

Comments. Compared with the specimens collected by authors, the available female collected by Takahashi is smaller in size, the metanotal striae are looser, and the mesopresternum is higher laterally.

Specimens examined. Taiwan, Rarasan (Taoyuan), 1 female in Piper gall of L. kuwanai, 31.vi.1933 (Takahashi); Shihding (Taipei), 1 female, 2 males from wild climbing vine, 23.ix.1993; Ruifeng (Chiayi), 1 female from Solanaceae, 16.xii.1993; Sun Mong Lake (Nantou), 1 male from grasses, vii.1993.