Nandithrips niveae, Li & Tong & Zhang, 2023

Li, Yajin, Tong, Xiaoli & Zhang, Hongrui, 2023, The genus Nandithrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), with a new species from Southern China, Zootaxa 5277 (2), pp. 395-400 : 396-399

Nandithrips niveae sp. n.

( Figs 1–10 )

Female. Macropterous. With the characters in the generic definition. Body length about 1.2mm. Body bicolored ( Fig. 1 ); legs brown with tibiae and tarsi yellow; Head and thorax brown, abdominal tergites I–II brown, III brown with posterior part yellow, IV–VII yellow (VII sometimes with a brown patch in middle), VIII–IX light brown; antennal segment I brown, II–III yellow, IV–VIII brown with the base of IV slightly yellow ( Fig. 7 ); fore wing pale, with one shaded cross bands medially, clavus brown with apex pale ( Fig. 6 ). Body setae clear in color.

Head wider than long, with transverse striate sculpture dorsally on posterior fourth; ocellar setae I and II absent, setae III situated near the outside margins of ocellar triangle; 5–6 pairs of postocular setae arranged parallel to compound eyes, setae I the longest and situated just behind posterior ocelli ( Fig. 3 ); mouth cone pointed, maxillary palps 3-segmented ( Fig. 8 ). Compound eyes with 4 pigmented facets ventrally. Antennae 8-segmented, segment I without dorso-apical setae, III and IV with sense cone forked, VIII slightly longer than VII ( Fig. 7 ).

Pronotum wider than long, surface smooth, with about 40 discal setae, four pairs of posteromaginal setae; two pairs of long posteroangular setae, inner pair longer than outer pair ( Fig. 3 ). Prosternal ferna undivided, probasisternum without setae. Mesonotum transverse, median setae in front of posterior margin and submedian setae close to or at posterior margin, CPS present anteromedially. Metanotum reticulate but longitudinally striate laterally; median setae situated at anterior margin, CPS present ( Fig. 3 ). Mesosternal furca with spinula, metasternal without furca ( Fig. 8 ). Fore wing first vein with 6–7 basal setae and 3 distal setae, second vein with 9 scattered setae; anterior fringe cilia longer than costal setae; clavus with 4–5 veinal setae and 1 discal seta; posteromarginal cilia wavy ( Fig. 6 ). Tarsi 2-segmented, hind tibiae each with two stout spines at apex.

Abdominal tergites smooth, with a few striae laterally, posteromarginal craspeda and ctenidia absent; tergite VIII with posteromarginal comb but absent medially; tergite IX with two pairs CPS; tergite X with median split almost complete ( Fig. 9 ); sternite II with 2 pairs of posteromarginal setae, III–VII with 3 pairs, VII with all posteromarginal setae in front of posterior margin; sternites with no discal setae.

Measurements (holotype female in microns): Body length 1205. Head, length 65; width 129; ocellar setae III length 18. Pronotum, length 124, width 190; posteroangular setae length, inner 59, outer 40; posteromarginal setae I length 38. Metascutum median setae length 40. Fore wing length 635. Antennal segments III to VIII length as follows: 43, 44, 35, 45, 6, 9.

Male. Body length about 1.0 mm. Similar to female ( Fig. 2 ). Body color lighter brown than female ( Fig. 2 ). Abdominal tergite VIII posteromarginal comb absent medially, IX with two pairs of short setae medially, the anterior pair shorter than posterior pair, one pair of CPS present ( Fig. 10 ). Sternite II with an oval pore plate, IV/V–VII each with a wide, broadly transverse pore plate ( Figs 4–5 ).

Measurements (paratype male in microns): Body length 1058. Head, length 78, width 107; ocellar setae III length 10. Pronotum, length 106, width 140; posteroangular setae length, inner 47, outer 36; posteromarginal setae I length 30. Metascutum median setae length 28. Fore wing length 557. Antennal segments III to VIII length as follows: 38, 41, 28, 34, 6, 8.

Specimens examined. Holotype: female, CHINA, Guizhou Province, Danzhai County, Maobiling Forest Park , from Boehmeria nivea flowers (Figs 11–12) [ Urticaceae ], 23.viii.2016 (Xueqiang Yan), in collection of Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming ( YNAU).

Paratypes: 6 females, 6 males collected with holotype; Guizhou Province, Xingyi City, Wanfengling Forest Park , 4 females, 1.ix.2016, from Boehmeria sp. ; Yunnan Province, Baoshan City, Gaoligong Mountain Nature Reserve , 5 females, 9 males, 14. vi. 2015, from Boehmeria sp. (with more than 50 individuals preserved in alcohol) ( YNAU). Hunan Province, Yanling National Forest Park , 1 female, 1 male collected from Boehmeria sp. , 25.viii.2015 ( Zhaohong Wang ) ; 1 female, 1 male same data as holotype ( ANIC) .

Etymology. The species is named after the host plant.

Discussion. Nandithrips genus is remarkable among Thripinae , with the posteromarginal comb absent medially on abdominal tergite VIII in females, sternite II of male with an oval pore plate, and ocellar setae II absent. The length of microtrichia and the width of the median tergal area without microtrichia vary, sometimes microtrichia are long and fine with the median lacking area narrow, as in Nandithrips , Pandorathrips , Lomatothrips and Paroxythriops ( Mound 2006, Masumoto & Okajima 2017). In other genera the microtrichia are short and the median lacking area is broad, such as Megalurothrips , Tenothrips and some Thrips species ( Mound & Palmer 1981, Mirab-balou et al. 2012, Masumoto & Okajima 2013). Tergite VIII of Nandithrips species, with the comb of long slender teeth interrupt medially in both sexes, is similar to that of the Australian genus Pandorathrips . However, Pandorathrips has the abdominal segments with a craspedum and the S2 setae much closer to S1 setae, indicating that it is unrelated to Nandithrips ( Mound & Masumoto 2009) .

Mound (2009) discussed nine distribution arrangements of the pore plates among male Thripinae . These structures are usually found on sternites III–VI, sometimes on sternites VII and VIII, but rarely reported on sternite II. The record of a pore plate on sternite II in males of Paraleucothrips Johansen remains questionable because of the poor quality of the available slide-mounted specimens (Mound, pers. comm.). Another record of pore plate on sternite II was in males of Yoshinothrips , with 20-28 scattered pore plates. Nandithrips with one oval pore plate on abdominal sternite II in males is possibly unique among Thripinae .

Rachana et al. (2023) indicated that the lack of ocellar setae pair II in this genus is similar to Bournierothrips Bhatti , but the genus is not related to Thrips genus-group, because of the absence of ctenidia on the abdominal tergites. Mound & Palmer(1981) discussed some characters to assess phylogenetic relationships between some genera of Thripidae , and indicated that ocellar setae II was remarkably constant both in size and position. Otherwise, the genus Adelphithrips from New Zealand was described as lacking ctenidia and discussed as a sister-group of Thrips genus-group because of this absence was plesiotypic. The following characters in Nandithrips indicate that this genus may be related to Thrips genus-group and Taeniothrips genus-group: antennae 8-segmented, ocellar setae I absent, mesosternal furca with spinula, metasternal without furca, metanotal media setae at anterior margin, fore wing first vein setal row widely interrupted, tergal posteromarginal craspeda and ctenidia absent, sternal discal setae absent.The relationships of these genera need to be examined further using molecular data.

This new species is readily distinguished from the type species in the above key. The host plant is cultivated widely in China and is distributed mainly in South China, but also in Gansu, Henan, and Shaanxi Provinces. The history of cultivation of Boehmeria nivea in China can be traced back at least 3000 years. It is an important fibre plant and a traditional Chinese medicine, the young leaves of Boehmeria are also used as fodder for silkworms ( Chen et al. 2003). A large number of adults of this thrips species were collected from the medicinal plant Boehmeria sp , but without any larvae being collected. The host plant of this new species is a member of the same botanical family as the type species, and the biology of Nandithrips species is not yet certain.

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Nandithrips niveae sp. n. (1) Female. (2) Male. (3) Head and thorax of female. (4) Abdominal sternites II–VI of male. (5) Abdominal sternites II–VII of male. (6) Fore wing. (7) Antenna.

FIGURES 8–10. Nandithrips niveae sp. n. (8) Head and thorax ventral surface. (9) Abdominal tergites VII–X of female. (10) Abdominal tergites VII–X of male. (11)–(12) Host plant.