Thrips subnudula (Karny)

Zhang, Hongrui, Xie, Yonghui & Li, Zhengyue, 2011, Identification key to species of Thrips genus from China (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), with seven new records, Zootaxa 2810, pp. 37-46 : 44-45

Thrips subnudula (Karny)

( Figs. 7 , 14, 21 )

Ramaswamiahiella subnudula Karny, 1926: 208 –210

Female (macropterous): Body and legs uniformly pale yellow, antennal segments I, II and base of III and IV pale; fore wings pale. Antennae 7-segmented, III & IV with short forked sense cone. Head wider than long, with two pairs of ocellar setae; pair III small and arising within ocellar triangle behind fore ocellus; postocular setae I about as long as ocellar setae III ( Fig.7 ). Pronotum with numerous small discal setae and two pairs of short posteroangular setae; posterior margin with four or five pairs of setae ( Fig. 7 ). Metanotum with irregular longitudinal reticulation medially but longitudinally striate laterally; median setae small, arising well behind anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present and close together ( Fig. 14 ). Fore wing first vein with three setae on distal half, second vein with row of about 17 setae; clavus with five setae on marginal vein ( Fig. 21 ). Abdominal tergite II with three lateral marginal setae; median tergites with lines of sculpture extending to campaniform sensilla; posterior margin of VIII with comb broadly interrupted medially but with a few small microtrichia laterally; pleurotergites with 3–6 discal setae. Sternite II with 8 marginal setae, III–VI with about 12 marginal setae, VII with three pairs of marginal setae the median pair arising at the margin; sternite II with about 6 discal setae, III–VI with about 26 discal setae, VII with about 22 discal setae in a double row.

Male: As yellow as female but smaller; comb on abdominal tergite VIII posterior margin with completely irregular microtrichia; sternites III–VII each with a narrow, transverse pore plate.

Specimens examined: China, Yunnan, 3 females, 2 males, on Mangifera indica , 23. iv.2008.

Remarks. This species has the sternal marginal setae duplicated, so that there are commonly 12 marginal setae on abdominal sternites III–VI. As a result, some authors have placed the species in a separate genus, Ramaswamiahiella . However, it is now included in the genus Thrips because of similarities to species such as imaginis and unispinus ( Mound & Masumoto, 2005). This species is most similar to imaginis, which is usually darker yellow to brown with a slightly more distinctly reticulate metanotal sculpture, fewer pronotal discal setae and only 3–4 pairs of sternal posteromarginals. It also shares some characteristics with the species unispinus, but that lacks pleurotergal discal setae. This is a widespread Oriental species, and now has been recorded from Nigeria ( Mound & Masumoto, 2005) and South Africa (zur Strassen, 2006).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Thrips species. Head 1 – 7: (1) alatus; (2) australis; (3) carthami; (4) garuda; (5) obscuripes; (6) parvispinus; (7) subnudula. Meso- and metanotum 8 – 12: (8) alatus; (9) australis; (10) carthami; (11) garuda; (12) obscuripes.

FIGURES 13 – 25. Thrips species. Meso- and metanotum 13 – 14: (13) parvispinus; (14) subnudula. Abdominal tergite VIII 15 – 21: (15) alatus; (16) australis; (17) carthami; (18) garuda; (19) obscuripes; (20) parvispinus; (21) subnudula. Abdominal terga 22 – 23: (22) carthami; (23) garuda. Forewing 24 – 25: (24) australis; (25) parvispinus.