Liothrips motuoensis sp. n.

(Figs 4, 48, 65, 73, 99)

Female macroptera. Body brown; all femora brown, all tibiae and tarsi clear yellow; antennal segments I–II brown, II pale at apex, III–VII uniform yellow, VIII lightly brown; major setae pale; fore wing shaded light brown.

Head about twice as long as wide (Fig. 4); postocular setae blunt, much shorter than eyes, not reaching posterior margin of eyes (Fig. 4); eyes dorsally and ventrally equal in length; maxillary stylets close together medially, retracted to level of postocular setae; mouth cone short and round. Antennal segment III about 2 times as long as apical width; IV with 3 major sense cones, VIII constricted at base. Pronotum transverse, with 2 pairs of long blunt setae, am, aa and pa minute (Fig. 48), slightly longer than discal setae, epim longest; surface almost smooth, with weak sculpture near margins. All legs slender. Fore wing with 3 blunt sub-basal setae arising in straight line, almost equal length, with 11 duplicated cilia. Mesonotum transversely reticulate, lateral setae well-developed, slightly blunt. Metanotum longitudinally reticulate, major setae slender and acute (Fig. 73). Mesopresternum with paired lateral triangles (Fig. 65), metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Pelta broadly triangular, weakly reticulate, with pair of CPS (Fig. 73); tergite II with 4 pairs of lateral setae; tergite VIII posterolateral setae well-developed, slightly shorter than posteroangulars; tergite IX setae S1 about half as long as tube, blunt at apex (Fig. 99), S2–S3 about as long as tube, acute at apex; tube shorter than head, anal setae shorter than tube.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 3000. Head length (maximum width) 350 (225); postocular setae length 45; antennal segments I–VIII length (width): 40 (40), 55 (35), 115 (40), 125 (50), 110 (45), 80 (40), 70 (35), 45 (15); sense cone on III length 55. Pronotum length (width) 175 (310); am 5, aa 5, ml 50, epim 105, pa 10. Fore wing length 1450; sub-basal setae S1 85, S2 85, S3 90. Tergite VIII posterolateral setae 110; tergite IX setae S1 160, S2 290, S3 305; tube length 310, basal width 90, apical width 50; anal setae length 250.

Male macroptera. Similar to female in colour and sculpture; pronotal am and pa minute, aa developed, about as long as ml, blunt at apex; abdominal tergite IX setae S2 short and softly pointed; sternite VIII largely occupied by pore plate.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 2940. Head length (maximum width) 350 (205); postocular setae length 35. Pronotum length (width) 170 (310); am 5, aa 35, ml 35, epim 95, pa 10. Tergite IX setae S1 130, S2 70, S3 370; tube length 350, basal width 90, apical width 50; anal setae length 260.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, CHINA, Tibet, Motuo, taken on leaves of tree, 16.vii. 2022, Yanqiao Li (SNUT).

Paratypes: 2 females and 1 male with same data as holotype (SNUT & NZMC) .

Etymology. The species epiphet refers to the collection site.

Comments. This new species has all tibiae yellow as in two other Liothrips species from China, L. styracinus and L. pallipes, as well as L. mirabilis that is a potential pest of Piper plant grown throughout Southern China. This new species can be easily recognized by having only two pairs of setae well-developed on the pronotum (Fig. 48), and S1 on tergite IX short and blunt, about half the length of S2 (Fig. 99).