Guerothrips, Goldarazena, Arturo & Infante, Francisco, 2013

Goldarazena, Arturo & Infante, Francisco, 2013, Guerothrips moundi, gen. et sp. n. (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) from Chiapas, Mexico, Zootaxa 3669 (2), pp. 172-178 : 173-177

Guerothrips gen. n.

Thripidae-Thripinae with females and males brachypterous. Antennae 8-segmented ( Fig. 7 ), sense cones on III ( Fig. 8 ) and IV forked, IV–VI with microtrichia. Head with three pairs of ocellar setae ( Fig. 1 ), pair III arise inside ocellar triangle; compound eyes with 2 pigmented facets; mouth cone short, barely extending between fore coxae; maxillary palps slender, 3-segmented. Pronotum with 5 pairs of long setae ( Fig. 3 ), dorsal surface with transverse striations not closely spaced; prosternal ferna well developed. Mesonotum transversely reticulate, with three pairs of setae, median pair close to posterior margin ( Fig. 5 ). Metanotum with weak sculpture medially but longitudinal lines laterally, median setae near anterior margin; campaniform sensilla present ( Fig. 5 ). Mesothoracic furcal spinula developed; metathoracic furca with well developed spinula. Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing ( Fig. 6 ) curving forward slightly at apex, first and second veins with setal rows regular and complete, scale with five veinal setae and one discal seta; fringe cilia wavy. Abdominal tergites with transverse lines of sculpture laterally not reaching the middle area of the tergites, without craspedum on their posterior margins, campaniform sensilla far from posterior margin; three pairs of setae almost equal in size placed laterally, median pair small and variable with distance between their bases very long, about 9 times their length; ctenidia terminate just anterior to setae S3 on tergites VI–VII; ctenidia on abdominal tergite VIII anterior to the spiracles; tergite VIII with posteromarginal comb of long fine microtrichia ( Fig. 11 ); tergite X with longitudinal split dorsally. Sternites without marginal craspedum, III–VII with three pairs of posteromarginal setae; discal setae present as follows III with 7, IV with 9, V with 11, VI with 12, VII with 8 ( Fig. 10 ); sternite II with two pairs of posteromarginal setae, and one or two discal setae ( Fig. 9 ). Male sternites III–VII each with ellipsoidal pore plate medially ( Figs 12–13 ); tergite IX without stout setae. Type species Guerothrips moundi sp. n.

Relationships

This genus shares the following character states with Frankliniella : 8-segmented antennae; three pairs of ocellar setae; four pairs of major pronotal setae; both veins of fore wing with complete row of setae; metanotum with median seta at anterior margin; tergites V–VIII with paired lateral ctenidia (Mound 2001), on VIII arising anterior to spiracle. However this new species has discal setae on the abdominal sternites and this character is not present in any species of Frankliniella , although some specimens of F. williamsi and F. gossypiana have one or two discal setae on sternite II. Aneristothrips from Argentina is similar to Frankliniella and Guerothrips in most characteristics but the mouth cone is exceptionally long, a craspedum is present on the posterior margin of the tergites, and the median setae on the metanotum are far back from the anterior margin (Mound & Marullo 1996). Aneristothrips claripennis (Moulton 1933) has developed the pronotal setae and it has been collected in Brazil (Cavalleri et al. 2006). The other species in this genus, Aneristothrips rostratus has been recorded only from Argentina (De Santis 1957). Baileyothrips , Desertathrips , Psydrothrips and Xerothrips all have 8–9 antennal segments and sternal discal setae, but lack tergal ctenidia, males have a glandular opening between sternites II–III, and the fore wing setal rows are interrupted or irregular on both veins (de Borbón 2008).

Guerothrips moundi sp. n.

Female brachypterous. Body yellow. Antennal segments I–II pale yellow, III–V with apices increasingly darker yellow, VI–VII brown. Fore wing pale with no dark margins.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Distended body length 1293. Head, length 82, width 108; ocellar setae III 32, postocelar setae III long 20. Antennal segments length (width) 18 (17); 34 (17); 36 (14); 36 (14); 34 (14); 43 (15); 8 (5); 12 (4). Pronotum length (width) 142 (237); pronotal setae aa 63; am 44; pa 69, pm 42; discal setae 13. Metanotal setae length median pair 44; lateral pair 25. Tergite VI setae B1 12, B2 12. Fore wing length 464; first vein with 17 setae; second vein with 14 setae.

Male brachypterous. Similar to female in color and structure but smaller. Tergite VIII with a complete posteromarginal comb; tergite IX without pairs of stout thorn-like setae.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length distended 1020. Head, length 72, width 100; ocellar setae III 28; SII 8; SI 4; postocellar seta III long 18, Antennal segments length (width) I 17 (18); II 27 (17); III 34 (14); IV 31 (14); V 30 (12); VI 34 (14); VII 8 (5); VIII 12 (3). Pronotum length (width) 86(127); Pronotal setae aa 34; am 21; pa 34, pm 20; discal setae 6. Metanotal setae length; median pair 39; lateral pair 22. Fore wing length 422.

Material examined. Holotype female brachypterous, MEXICO, Tapachula, Chiapas, from flowers of Waltheria indica , 6.i.2012 (Antonio Girón & Uriel Garay) (deposited in the Natural History Museum, London). Paratypes: 4 brachypterous females and 1 brachypterous male collected with the holotype. One paratype female will be deposited in the entomological collection of ECOSUR (Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico) and other female in the Senckenberg Museum (Frankfurt, Germany). One female and one male will be deposited in the Neiker collection of Insects.

Etymology. The name of the genus is derived from the Mexican Spanish word “guero” (clear) and the species is dedicated to Laurence Mound in recognition to his career devoted to the study of the biology of thrips and his interest in transmitting his knowledge to young entomologists.

Phylogenetic considerations. Taking into account the importance of the Frankliniella genus (economic and faunistic) we prefer to segregate this species and create a new genus, in the expectation that further species could have discal setae on the sternites. In this way it is possible to maintain the stability of the diagnosis of Frankliniella , which contains a high level of complexity and variation. Frankliniella is a genus of about 200 species, 90% of which are from the Neotropics (Jacot-Guillarmod 1974; Mound & Marullo 1996). Despite this species diversity, the genus is remarkably homogenous in the range of body form (Mound & Nakahara 1994). However, these authors listed several exceptions to the diagnostic characters of Frankliniella , such as the number of antennal segments, (three species have 7 antennal segments), and variation in the development of the pronotal anteromarginal and anteroangular setae. Due to the high intraspecific variability of some of the characters used for separate populations, such as the swelling of the pedicel of antennal segment III or the comb of tergite VIII, species recognition in Frankliniella is particularly difficult in the Neotropics (Mound & Marullo 1996; Goldarazena et al. 2012).

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 13. (7) Antenna; (8) Antennal segment III; (9) Sternite II; (10) Sternite VII; (11) Tergite VIII; (12) Male sternite III; (13) Sternites V – VI (Pore plates).

FIGURES 1 – 6. Guerothrips moundi sp. n. (1) Head; (2) Habitus; (3) Pronotum; (4) Scale; (5) Meso and Metanotum; (6) Fore wing.