Yaothrips, Mirab-Balou, Majid, Wei, Shu-Jun, Lu, Hong & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2011

Mirab-Balou, Majid, Wei, Shu-Jun, Lu, Hong & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2011, Yaothrips shii gen. et sp. n. from western China (Thripidae: Thripinae), Zootaxa 2900, pp. 46-50 : 47

Yaothrips gen. n.

Diagnosis. Micropterous Thripinae , male unknown. Antennae 8-segmented ( Fig. 4 ), with forked sensoria on antennal segments III and IV, segment I with paired median dorso-apical setae ( Fig. 1 ). Head with 3 pairs of ocellar setae, pair III the longest and situated on margin of ocellar triangle, anterior to hind ocelli ( Fig. 1 ). Compound eyes with five pigmented ommatidia on ventral surface. Ocelli present and as small as ommatidia. Maxillary palps 3- segmented. Pronotum rectangular, with two pairs of long posteroangular setae ( Fig. 2 ). Mesonotum sculptured with transverse anastomosing striae; CPS present anteromedially. Metascutum irregularly reticulate laterally, with smooth sculpture medially; median pair of thick setae situated behind anterior margin; MCS present, near posterior margin of sclerite ( Fig. 3 ). Prosternal ferna undivided but connected weakly at middle. Mesothoracic furca with spinula, metathoracic furca without spinula. Forewing lobe almost as long as head width, clavus with discal setae. Fore femora slightly swollen and thicker than middle and hind femora. Tarsi 2-segmented ( Fig. 8 ). Abdominal terga without ctenidia and posteromarginal craspeda, with median setae wide apart; tergal CPS situated near posterior margin (about 11–13 microns from posterior margin) ( Fig. 6 ); tergum VIII without posteromarginal comb ( Fig. 7 ). Abdominal sterna without posteromarginal craspeda, and without discal setae; sterna III–VII with six (sternum II with four) posteromarginal setae, median pair of setae on sternum VII situated in front of posterior margin and far from each other ( Fig. 5 ).

Type-species. Yaothrips shii sp. n.

Relationships. The presence of a pair of small or minute setae at the dorsal apical margin of the first antennal segment seems to be a good indicator of evolutionary relationships amongst many Thripinae , but this pair of setae can be difficult to see ( Mound & Marullo, 1996; Bhatti, 2000; Mound & Ng, 2009). In the presence of DA1, Yaothrips is similar to members of the Trichromothrips genus-group as defined by Masumoto and Okajima (2005), but it cannot be placed in the Trichromothrips -group because of the presence of ocellar setae pair I and the position of ocellar setae pair III.

In external appearance, Yaothrips is similar to several thripine genera having two pairs of anteocellar setae, two pairs of pronotal posteroangular setae and 8-segmented antenna such as Asphodelothrips and Tenothrips but these two genera have no dorso-apical setae on antennal segment I. Among Chinese Thripinae , the micropterous morph of Vulgatothrips is similar to Yaothrips but can be distinguished by the absence of median dorso-apical setae on antennal segment I, weak reticulations on abdominal terga and sterna, head reticulate behind the compound eyes, and MCS absent (based on holotype and paratype).

In the presence of DA1, Yaothrips is similar to Sorghothrips and Bregmatothrips , but Sorghothrips differs by the following character states: tergal CPS very close to posterior margin of tergites, abdominal tergites II–VIII with craspedum on posterior margin (zur Strassen, 2003; Masumoto & Okajima, 2006), head longer than wide and projecting in front of eyes, and metanotal median setae situated at anterior margin of segment ( Mound & Ng, 2009). In addition, the genus Bregmatothrips can be distinguished from Yaothrips by the following character states: tergal CPS very close to posterior margin, abdominal tergites II–VIII with craspedum on posterior margin (zur Strassen, 2003; Masumoto & Okajima, 2006), antennal segment III (and sometimes IV) with simple sensoria, sternite II with six posteromarginal setae, meso- and metathoracic furcae without spinula (zur Strassen, 2003). Asphodelothrips differs from Yaothrips by having the dorso-apical setae on antennal segment I far apart, near the outer sides of this segment (zur Strassen, 2003); postocular setae S2 longer than other setae and only slightly shorter than interocellar setae (zur Strassen, 2003). The stout median metanotal setae are apparently unique to Yaothrips , and this, together with the lack of a posteromarginal comb on tergite VIII, as well as the normal sensoria on antennal segment VI, distinguishes this genus from the Megalurothrips -group.

Figures

FIGURES 4 – 8. Yaothrips shii gen. et sp. n. (female-holotype): (4) antennae; (5) abdominal sternum VII; (6) andominal tergum VII; (7) abdominal terga VIII – X; (8) fore tibiae-tarsus. (Scale bar = 30 microns).

FIGURES 1 – 3. Yaothrips shii gen. et sp. n. (female holotype): (1) head; (2) pronotum; (3) metanotum. (Scale bar = 30 microns).