Polytrichothrips malayanus sp. n.

(Figs 203–210, 246)

Female (aptera). Distended body length: 2.8–2.9mm. Colour brown to dark brown; head and thorax brown, abdomen brown to dark brown, darkened toward posteriorly, tube blackish brown with apical 1/4 paler. Antennal segment I brownish yellow, in contrast with brown head; segment II yellowish brown, a little darker than segment I; segment III pale brown with basal 1/2 yellowish; segments IV and V brown with basal 1/3 yellowish; segments VI–VIII brown, base of segment VI slightly paler. Legs brown, femora yellowish distally; tarsi yellowish brown. Prominent setae brownish. Head (Fig. 205) square (if not pressed by coverslip), about 1.1 times as long as wide, dorsal surface almost smooth, but with indistinct transverse furrows on vertex; cheeks subparallel, with 2–5 stout setae, 2–3 in holotype female, 5– 5 in paratype female; a pair of lateral ommatidium-like structure situated near base (Fig. 204), about 40µm apart from base of head. Postocular setae long, postocellar setae less than 1/3 as long as postoculars; vertexal setae almost as long as postocellars. Eyes small, wider than long, slightly prolonged posteriorly on ventral surface; ocelli small. Antennae (Fig. 206) about twice as long as head; segments III and IV with two and four sense-cones, respectively. Mouth cone rounded at apex; maxillary stylets 12–15µm broad, reaching eyes, close together medially. Pronotum (Fig. 205) much wider than long, about 0.6 times as long as head, almost smooth. Four pairs of pronotal setae well developed and nearly pointed; am setae the shortest, but more than 50μm; epim much longer than pa. Notopleural sutures incomplete. Prosternal basantra slender, ferna pointed medially. Fore tarsal tooth (Fig. 203) small and forwardly directed. Mesopresternum (Fig. 207) slender; metathoracic sternopleural suture absent. Mesonotum (Fig. 208) weakly sculptured with weak transverse reticulation on anterior 1/2; metanotum transverse, surface smooth, median pair of setae slender, about 190µm apart from each other in holotype. Pelta (Fig. 208) broadly hat-shaped, weakly sculptured anteriorly, posterior margin eroded at middle. Each side of abdominal tergites with three setae near posterior margin, S1, S2 and S3 (= posteroangulars); tergites II–VII with short S1, tergite VIII with longer S1, but shorter than tergite, tergite IX with the longest S1, almost as long as tube; tergites II, VI–VII and IX with long S2, longer than tergite, tergites III–V and VIII with short S2; tergites II–V with short S3, shorter than tergite, tergites VI–IX with long S3, longer than tergite. Tube (Fig. 209) tapering, straight sided, 0.83 times as long as head in holotype. Terminal setae much shorter than tube.

Measurements (holotype female in μm). Body length 2850 (distended). Head length 320, width 290; eyes length 40, width 70; postocular setae 125–130; postocellar setae 35–40. Antenna total length 660, segments I–VIII length (width) as follows: 74 (50), 85 (46), 100 (45), 98 (50), 102 (48), 90 (45), 73 (40), 70 (30). Pronotum length 185, width 407. Setae on prothorax: am 65–66, aa 75–80, ml 90–115, pa 115, epim 160–170, cox 65–70. Setae on tergites. II: S1 30, S2 135, S3 20. III: S1 30, S2 50, S3 38. IV: S1 38, S2 60, S3?. V: S1 30, S2 62, S3 100. VI: S1 40, S2 160, S3 230. VII: S1 40, S2 225, S3 300. VIII: S1 140, S2 50, S3 200. IX: S1 260, S2 200, S3 210. Tube length 265, maximum width 145; terminal setae about 200.

Type series. Holotype apterous female, Peninsular Malaysia, Cameron Highlands, nr. Brinchang, on dead leaves and branches, 25.viii.1990, TN & SO . Paratype: Peninsular Malaysia, Cameron Highlands, foot of Gnung Jasar, 1 apterous female, on dead leaves and branches, 29.viii.1990, TN & SO .

Remarks. Two species, P. laticeps (Bagnall) from Sarawak and P. geoffri Mound from Eastern Australia, have previously been known in the genus. However, Eow et al. (2011) indicated that there is a further unnamed species in New Caledonia. P. malayanus is presumably more closely related to geoffri than laticeps, because it has short postocellar and mid-vertex setae on the head. It is interesting that the type-localities of malayanus and geoffri are farther apart than those of malayanus and laticeps .