Adraneothrips moundi n. sp.

(Figs 1–11)

Female macroptera. Body uniformly brown (Fig. 1). Antennal segments I,II,VII,VIII brown; III shaded with brown in basal half, with base and apex hyaline-yellow; IV brown with basal third pale; V–VI with basal half pale and distal half light brown (Fig. 3). Fore femora, and all tibiae pale; mid and hind coxae and femora brown; tarsi pale with apical brown dot (Fig. 1). Wings hyaline. Major setae of body pale. Some specimens with internal diffuse red pigmentation (Fig. 8).

Head 1.3 times as long as wide, slightly narrowed towards base (Fig. 2); dorsal surface reticulate inside ocellar triangle and between eyes where the reticles are larger, with fine transverse striation from eyes to posterior margin (Fig. 2). Genae with four to five spine-like setae. Maxillary stylets retracted to eyes, about 0.1 of head width apart (Figs 2, 10). Maxillary bridge absent. Eyes about 0.45 times as long as head, not prolonged ventrally. Postocular setae blunt, about 0.25 times as long as eye, bases about one third of head width apart (Fig. 2). Antennal segment III with three sense cones, IV with four. Pronotum with irregular transverse striations, and five pairs of capitate major setae. Notopleural sutures complete (Fig. 8). Basantra not developed, ferna almost triangular (Fig. 5). Mesoscutum striate anteriorly and posteriorly (Fig. 4). Mesopresternum boat-shaped (Fig. 5). Metanotal plate triangular, finely longitudinally striate; discal setae pointed (Fig. 4). Mesothorax lateral margin medially with conspicuous spine-like seta, close to margin of metathoracic coxal cavity (Fig. 6). Meso furca with spinula and metafurca as in figure 5. Fore coxae with two variably developed spine-like setae, the anterior capitate and longer than the posterior which is sharp (Fig. 7). Fore tarsus without a tooth. Fore wing with five to seven duplicated cilia; basal setae hyaline, S1 and S2 expanded at apex, S3 almost blunt. Pelta narrow, bell-shaped, with discal surface reticulate (Fig. 4), 1.7 times as long as wide, with two basal campaniform sensilla. Abdominal tergites II–VII with two pairs of WR and a well-developed capitate posteroangular seta (Fig. 9). Tergite IX setae S1, S2 and S3 pointed to blunt at apex. Posteroangular seta of pleurotergite II stout and spine-like, on III–IV well developed and capitate (Fig. 9), on V–VIII well developed and pointed. Tube about half as long as head, anal setae a little shorter than tube.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1816. Head, length 214; maximum width across cheeks 162. Eye length 97. PO length 24, width across bases of PO 53. Antennal segments I–VIII length 32, 44, 81, 65, 61, 53, 40, 24. Pronotum, length 101; width 219; setae: am 28, aa 32, ml 32, pa 32, epim 40. Metanotum discal setae 16. Pelta length 73, maximum width 40. Fore wing sub-basal setae: S1 32, S2 32, S3 44. Abdominal segment II posteroangular setae of tergite 44, posteroangular setae of pleurotergite 20; abdominal segment III posteroangular setae of tergite 49, posteroangular setae of pleurotergite 53; abdominal segment IX posteromarginal stae S1 44, S2 28, S3 53. Tube 120.

Male macroptera. Similar to female but with post-ocular setae more widely spaced, about 0.8 of head width apart, longer and capitate (Fig. 10); fore tarsi with a tooth (Fig. 10); abdominal sternite VIII with a sub-rounded pore plate (Fig. 11).

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 1428. Head, length 207, maximum width 146. PO length 45, width across bases of PO 118.

Specimens examined. Holotype female, New Caledonia, Parc Rivière bleue(approx. 22°06’24”S 166°39’36”E), from dead palm frond, 19.xii.1998, Mound L.A. (JBOU3529), in CIRAD . Paratypes: 10 females, 7 males, same data as holotype (JBOU3764 to JBOU3780) .

Comments. This new species can be distinguished from all the other species of the genus Adraneothrips by the combination of the following characters: eyes not prolonged ventrally, maxillary stylets close together in the middle of the head, antennae bicolored, metanotum plate triangular with fine longitudinal striations, fore femora pale, mid and hind femora brown, pelta narrow, abdominal sternite VIII of male with a unique discal pore plate.

A. moundi may be related to the New World uniformis -group in which species have the eyes not prolonged ventrally and the maxillary stylets close together (Mound & Marullo 1996). Considering the Asian species (Dang et al. 2013), A. moundi resembles A. braccatus, but can be differentiated by the fore femora pale, and the abdominal sternite VIII of male bearing a pore plate that is lacking in A. braccatus .