Anascirtothrips Bhatti

Anascirtothrips Bhatti, 1961 . 26. Type species: Anascirtothrips arorai Bhatti, 1961, by original designation and monotypy.

Female. Macropterous. Head wider than long, slightly prolonged anteriorly, straight at cheeks, with interantennal projection broad and about 0.5 times as wide as width of first antennal segment (Fig. 1 A); mouth-cone short, rounded at apex, with 3-segmented maxillary palpi. Compound eyes without pigmented ommatidia. Ocellar setae I present; setae III small. Postocular setae five pairs. Antennae 7-segmented, segment I without dorsal apical setae, II with microtrichial rows very weak and with two dorsal apical setae almost same sized, III and IV with sense-cones forked, III to VI with some rows microtrichia on both dorsal and ventral surfaces (Fig. 1 B); number of setae on II to VI as follows: 7, 5, 5, 6, 9.

Pronotum wider than long, without elongate setae, sculptured with widely spaced transverse striae, without long posteroangular setae, with five pairs of small posteromarginal setae (Fig. 1 A). Mesonotum sculptured with transverse anastomosing striae; median and submedian pairs of setae situated in front of posterior margin and usually arranged transversely (Fig. 1 C). Metascutum with median pair of setae situated behind anterior margin; CPS absent (Fig. 1 C). Metaepimeron with two setae. Metaepisternum without setae. Metapreepisternum developed with one seta. Prosternal ferna divided at middle; basantra membranous, without setae (Fig. 2 A). Mesosternum with sternopleural sutures complete, reaching anterior margin; endofurca with or without spinula; spinasternum somewhat narrow and curved posteriorly at middle (Fig. 2 A). Metasternal endofurca with spinula (Fig. 2 A). Fore wing first vein with long gap in setal row; second vein with three setae widely spaced; clavus with four veinal and one discal setae; posteromarginal fringe cilia wavy. Tarsi 2-segmented.

Abdominal terga not clearly divided from laterotergites, without posteromarginal craspeda and ctenidia; terga II to VIII laterally and laterotergites areas with numerous ciliate microtrichia along transverse lines of sculpture, B1 setae much longer than distance between their bases (Fig. 2 B); tergum VIII with posteromarginal comb complete (Fig. 2 B); tergum IX without CPS (Fig. 2 B); tergum X without median slit (Fig. 2 B); sterna without discal setae and posteromarginal craspeda, with ciliate microtrichia along lines of sculpture at least laterally and with posteromarginal microtrichia (Fig. 3 A); sterna III to VII with three pairs of posteromarginal setae, but II with two pairs. Ovipositor developed.

Male. Macropterous. General structure as in female. Abdominal tergum IX without drepanae (Fig. 3 B); sterna without glandular areas.

Comments. This genus had hitherto been known from three species described from Australia, India and Taiwan, and they appear to be associated with Ficus leaves [ Moraceae]. One Indian species, A. arorai Bhatti, has been introduced to Florida and Australia by horticultural trading of cultivated Ficus plants (Mound & Wang, 2000). The genus can be distinguished from other members of the Scirtothrips group in Japan by above key, and the four species are distinguished in the key below.