Heliothripoides boltoni, Dang & Mound & Qiao, 2014

Dang, Li-Hong, Mound, Laurence A. & Qiao, Ge-Xia, 2014, Conspectus of the Phlaeothripinae genera from China and Southeast Asia (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), Zootaxa 3807 (1), pp. 1-82 : 36-37

Heliothripoides boltoni sp.n.

Female macroptera. Body largely brownish yellow with lateral margins brown; head mainly yellow with lateral margins brown, pronotum largely yellow but brown laterally and median triangular area pale brown; meso and metathorax yellow but brown laterally; pelta with reticulate area brown; tergite II largely yellow with anterior margin darker; tergites III–VII brownish yellow with brown lateral margins, VIII yellow with anterior lateral darker, IX yellow, tube brown with extreme base yellow and apex pale; antennal segments I–II slightly darker brown than head, III–VIII light brown with base of III–IV yellow; fore femora brown with yellow apex and inner margin, fore tibiae yellow; middle femora and tibiae brown with apex yellow, hind femora brown with yellow base and apex, hind tibiae yellow; all tarsi yellow; fore wing weakly shaded with darker median line.

Head about 1.3 times as long as wide, cheeks round, strongly constricted just behind eyes, and gradually narrowed basally ( Fig. 46 ) with many warts; vertex with polygonal sculpture; eyes equally developed dorsally and ventrally ( Fig. 48 ); postocular setae minute; stylets retracted to postocular setae, close together medially ( Fig. 46 ); antennae 8-segmented, III with 2 sensoria, IV with 3.

Pronotum with polygonal sculpture, notopleural sutures complete, only epimeral setae well-developed, blunt or expanded, other major setae minute but blunt; basantra absent, ferna developed; mesopresternum complete. Mesonotum with lateral setae small. Metanotum reticulate ( Fig. 47 ), median setae pointed, about 12 small setae arised on anterior half; sternopleural suture absent. Fore tarsal tooth absent. Fore wing slender, weakly constricted medially, without duplicated cilia; sub-basal setae small but blunt.

Pelta trapezoidal with median area reticulate ( Fig. 47 ), campaniform sensilla present; tergites II–VII sculptured laterally, with two pairs of wing-retaining setae that are usually slightly flattened ( Fig. 47 ); tergite IX setae S1 very short and weakly capitate ( Fig. 45 ), about 0.5 as long as basal width of tube, S2 longer than S1, blunt but not expanded, S3 pointed and longest, but shorter than tube; sterna discal setae minute; tube straight, shorter than head, anal setae a little longer than tube.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1910. Head, length 240; width 175. Pronotum, length 120; width 260; epimeral setae 45. Fore wing, length 700; sub-basal setae 10. Tergite IX, setae S1 27; S2 55; S3 100. Tube length 135, basal width 55; anal setae 150. Antennal segments III–VIII length, 65, 65, 65, 50, 35, 35.

Male macroptera. Very similar to female but smaller; tergite IX setae S2 short and pointed; sternites with minute discal setae, without reticulate areas, VIII without pore plate.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 1585. Head, length 205; width 155. Pronotum, length100; width 225, epimeral 35. Fore wing, length 600. Tergite IX setae, S1 25; S2 15. Tube length 120, basal width 50; anal setae 125. Antennal segments III–VIII length, 60, 60, 60, 50, 35, 30.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, Malaysia, Sarawak, Mulu National Park , Long Pala, from litter in lowland rainforest, 3.x.1977 (Barry Bolton), in The Natural History Museum, London.

Paratypes: 7 females, 9 males collected with holotype ; 4 females, 9 males with same data but different dates (18, 20, 24, 26, 29.ix.1977) .

Comments. This species is very similar to reticulatus , but is distinguished because the compound eyes are equally developed dorsally and ventrally ( Fig. 48 ), and antennal segment IV has three sensoria, whereas in reticulatus the eyes are prolonged ventrally and curved toward the midline, and antennal segment IV has only two sensoria. The species also differ in colour, in that the head (and probably also the pronotum) of reticulatus is uniformly brown, whereas the head of boltoni is brown only laterally, and the pronotum is also bicoloured.

Figures

FIGURES 43–48. Phlaeothripinae genera. Habrothrips curiosus 43–44: (43) Head & pronotum; (44) Tergites I–III. Heliothripoides boltoni 45–48: (45) Tergites VII–X; (46) Head & pronotum; (47) Metanotum & tergites I–III; (48) Ventralview of head & prototum.