Neohydatothrips plumeria, Tyagi, Kaomud & Kumar, Vikas, 2016

Tyagi, Kaomud & Kumar, Vikas, 2016, The Sericothripinae genus Neohydatothrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in India with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4132 (3), pp. 438-444 : 440-441

Neohydatothrips plumeria sp. n.

Female macroptera. Body strongly bicoloured; head, pronotal blotch, meso and metathorax brown, abdominal segments I–IV brown but paler medially, V–VI yellow but light brown shade medially; VII–X brown; tergites II– VII with dark antecostal line ( Fig. 11 ). All coxae, basal part of fore femora, mid and hind femora medially brown, all tibiae and tarsi yellow. Antennal segments I–II yellow, III yellow with light brown apically, IV–VIII light brown. Fore wings brown with pale subbasal area, base dark including clavus. Antennae 8-segmented, segments III and IV each with forked sense cones and reaching to the basal 1/5 of the next segment. Head broader than long, with closely spaced transverse lines within the ocellar triangle; occipital apodeme close to, but not touching the posterior margin of eyes; ocellar setae pair III outside the lateral margins of ocellar triangle; post-occipital region with broad band of transverse narrow reticulation ( Fig. 12 ). Eyes with 5 pigmented facets. Pronotum anterior third transversely reticulate with few internal markings, blotch strongly defined with transverse striae with many internal markings between the striae; one pair of long major posteroangular setae; posterior margin with one pair of short setae. Mesonotum with closely spaced transverse striations. Metanotum with closely spaced linear reticulation, median setae close to anterior margin; distance between median pair of setae 5 times greater than the distance between median and submedian ( Fig. 16 ). Metasternal plate with slight shallow emargination ( Fig. 14 ). Forewing first vein with 3+24 setae, second vein with 1–2 distal setae ( Fig. 18 ). Tergite I medially with no marginal microtrichia, antecostal ridge interrupted medially, II–VIII with complete rows of marginal microtrichia, slightly shorter medially on II–VI ( Fig. 13 ); tergite I with discal microtrichia laterally only, II–VIII with microtrichia extending medially near anterior margin; tergites IX–X with no discal microtrichia; tergite IX with 4 pairs of middorsal setae ( Fig. 15 ). Sternites without discal setae, VII with three pairs of posteromarginal setae arising in front of posterior margin ( Fig. 17 ); sternites with discal microtrichia present on lateral third, II–VII with marginal microtrichia present lateral to median pair of marginal setae. Craspedum absent on tergites and sternites.

Measurements of holotype female in microns. Body length 1047. Head, length 105; width across eyes 180; eyes length 55, width 42, distance between two compound eyes 85. Pronotum, length 96; width 223; pronotal blotch length (50 median, 68 lateral); width 148; blotch posteroangular setae 43. Metanotum median setae length 28. Fore wing length 690. Antennal segments I to VIII length (width) as follows: 24 (25), 36 (27), 65 (18), 58 (18), 43 (16), 50 (15), 9 (5) and 10 (5).

Material studied. Holotype female (macroptera), INDIA, West Bengal, Salt Lake, from flowers and leaves of Plumeria sp., 22.iv.2014, Devkant (Reg. 7312/H17). Paratypes: 2 females, with same data as holotype, (Registration No. 7313/ H17 to 7314/H17).

Etymology. This new species is named after name of the plant species on which specimens of this species were collected.

Comments. According to key to species of Neohydatothrips by Wang 2007, this new species is similar to N. surfurus but can be differentiated by the occipital apodeme not touching the posterior margin of eyes; and the abdominal segment V yellow with median light brown patch.

According to the key to Australian species of Neohydatothrips by Mound & Tree (2009), this new species is similar to N. poeta in general body colour, tergite II–VIII with complete microtrichia at posterior margin and antecostal ridge on tergite I interrupted medially. However it can be readily distinguished by the yellow abdominal segment VI, head with occipital apodeme not close to eyes; metanotum with closely spaced longitudinal lines of sculpture and anterior margin of metasternal plate with slight shallow emargination, whereas N. poeta has abdominal segment VI brown, head with occipital apodeme close to eyes; metanotum with reticulate sculpture and anterior margin of metasternal plate with deeper median emargination (see Fig. 25 Lima & Mound 2016a).

Figures

FIGURES 11 – 18. Neohydatothrips plumeria sp. n. (11) Female; (12) Head & pronotum, female; (13) Tergites II-IV, female; (14) Meso- and metasterna; (15) Tergites VII – X, female; (16) Meso- and metanota, female; (17) Sternite VII, female; (18) Fore wing, female.