Azaleothrips lepidus Okajima

Okajima, Shûji & Masumoto, Masami, 2014, Species-richness in the Oriental fungus-feeding thrips of the genus Azaleothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), Zootaxa 3846 (3), pp. 301-347 : 327

Azaleothrips lepidus Okajima

( Figs 68–72 )

Azaleothrips lepidus Okajima, 1978: 386 .

Diagnosis. Body brown, prothorax brownish yellow to yellowish brown, at least paler than head; fore femora yellowish, shaded with brown in apical 2/3, especially at outer side; antennal segment III yellow, often very weakly shaded, basal neck of segment IV yellowish. Head ( Fig. 68 ) a little longer than wide, distinctly reticulate; antennal segment VIII distinct from VII, segments III and IV with three (1 + 2) and four (2 + 2) sensoria, respectively. Pronotum ( Fig. 69 ) sculptured with lines of reticulation; basantra absent; fore tarsus with a tooth in both sexes; mesonotum ( Fig. 71 ) with dentate microtrichia along transverse lines of reticulation; metanotum ( Fig. 71 ) longitudinally reticulate or striate. Male pore plate on abdominal sternite VIII widely developed; S1 setae on tergite IX almost as long as half the length of tube; S2 setae on tergite IX expanded in female, pointed in male; tube about 2/3 as long as head in female; anal setae a little longer than tube.

This species was described based on several females and males collected from Northern Thailand, and belongs to the amabilis group. A sympatric species described below, toshifumii , is very similar to this species, and the differences between these two species are discussed under toshifumii .

Figures

FIGURES 64 – 72. Azaleothrips species. laocai sp. n. female 64 – 67: (64) head; (65) antennal segments III & IV; (66) pronotum; (67) meso & metanotum. lepidus, female 68 – 72: (68) head; (69) pronotum; (70) mouth cone; (71) meso & metanotum; (72) tergite II.