Thrips moundi, Tyagi, Kaomud & Kumar, Vikas, 2015

Tyagi, Kaomud & Kumar, Vikas, 2015, The Thrips formosanus group from Asia and Australia with a new species of the genus Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from India, Zootaxa 3947 (2), pp. 296-300 : 297-300

Thrips moundi sp. n.

Female macroptera. Body brown; all femora brown with yellow apices, tibiae and tarsi yellowish brown ( Fig. 1 ); antennal segments I–II and IV–VIII dark brown, III yellowish brown with pale pedicel; fore wing brown with basal quarter pale. Head broader than long, ocellar setae pair III arising outside ocellar triangle; postocular setae I and III longest, I longer than ocellar III, II smallest ( Fig. 5 ). Antenna 7–segmented ( Fig. 2 ). Pronotum with transverse lines of sculpture; two pairs of well-developed posteroangular setae; three pairs of posteromarginal setae, median pair longer than submedian ( Fig. 5 ). Mesonotum with anteromedian campaniform sensilla and transverse anastomosing sculpture lines, median pair of setae far ahead of posterior margin. Metanotum with longitudinally reticulate sculpture in middle, median pair of setae far behind anterior margin; distance between median pair of metanotal setae less than distance between median and submedian; campaniform sensilla present ( Fig. 7 ). Fore wing costa with 27 setae, first vein with 7 basal and 3 distal setae, second vein with 15 setae; clavus with 5+1 setae; apical seta longer than subapical seta ( Fig. 9 ). Abdominal tergites with a few sculpture lines extending to median setae and campaniform sensilla; tergite II with 3 lateral marginal setae ( Fig. 8 ); posterior margin of abdominal tergite VIII with complete and well-developed comb of fine microtrichia ( Fig. 4 ); tergite IX with two pairs of campaniform sensilla, and S2 setae longer than S1 and equidistant from each other; tergite X longer than IX. Abdominal sternites with transverse lines of sculpture; sternites and laterotergites II–VIII without discal setae; sternite II with 2 pairs of posteromarginal setae; III–VII with 3 pairs of posteromarginal setae, median setae on VII far ahead of posterior margin ( Fig. 6 ).

Measurements in microns. Distended body length 1630. Head, length 119; width behind eyes 138; width across cheeks 149; compound eye dorsal length 63–65, width 42–45, ocellar seta III length 15–17, postocular setae I length 27–29. Pronotal median length 135, width 192; posteroangular setae I (inner pair) 85–87, setae II (outer pair) length 78–79; posteromarginal setae I length 32–37. Fore wing length 820, width at middle 60. Abdominal tergite IX length 70, S1 setae length 89–92, S2 setae length 131–133, md setae length 53–55. Abdominal tergite X length 80. Ovipositor length 264. Antennal segments I–VII length (width) as follows: 27 (30), 41 (26), 61 (22), 57 (22), 41 (19), 44 (18), 16 (7).

Material studied. Holotype female (macroptera), INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla, (31º11'99.3" N 077º23'11.9'E, 2500 m) from grass, 13.vi.2014, Vikas, Kaomud & Biswatosh (Reg. No. 6498/H17). Paratypes: 6 females with same data as holotype, (Reg. No. 6499/H17 to 6502/H17, 6524/H17 to 6525/H17). Holotype and paratypes deposited in the National Zoological Collections (NZC), Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Dr Laurence Mound for his outstanding contributions to thrips systematics and for his untiring efforts in helping young thrips taxonomists.

Molecular data. DNA barcode data of holotype and paratype of this species have been developed using the protocols published earlier ( Kumar et al., 2014). The generated sequences were submitted to NCBI GenBank to get accession numbers ( KP993173 - KP993174 ) and BOLD (Barcode of Life Database) under the project titled “DNA Barcoding Thrips of India ”.

Comments: This species is close to T. tanicus , floreus , formosanus , obscuripes and rostratus with which it shares a similar body colour. It can be distinguished from tanicus , floreus , formosanaus, obscuripes because they all have the following characters: tergite II with 4 lateral marginal setae; ocellar setae III either inside or touching the tangent at outer margin. Whereas in this new species tergite II has 3 lateral marginal setae, and ocellar setae III are clearly outside the ocellar triangle.

This species shares with Thrips rostratus the following character states: body colour, long mouthcone, ocellar III outside the triangle, median pair of metanotal setae far back from the anterior margin, and tergite II with 3 lateral marginal setae. It differs from rostratus by the presence of metanotal campaniform sensilla, yellowish brown antennal segment III, and clear area at base of dark fore wing. In contrast, rostratus has no metanotal campaniform sensilla, antennal segment III is dark brown and the fore wing uniformly dark.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Thrips moundi, female.

FIGURES 2 – 9. Thrips moundi, female (2) Antenna; (3) Pterosternites; (4) Tergites VIII – X; (5) Head & pronotum; (6) Sternite VII; (7) Meso-metanota; (8) Tergites I – II; (9) Fore wing.