Scirtothrips hafezi, Minaei & Mound, 2018

Minaei, Kambiz & Mound, Laurence, 2018, Scirtothrips genus-group in Iran with an unusual new species of Scirtothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), Zootaxa 4394 (2), pp. 288-294 : 289-292

Scirtothrips hafezi sp. n.

( Figs 6–14 )

Female macroptera. BOdY palE YEllOW, abdOmiNal TERgiTEs III–VIII WiTh daRk aNTEcOsTal RidgE EXTENdiNg fullY acROss ThEsE TERgiTEs; sTERNiTEs WiTh aNTEcOsTal RidgE NOT shadEd; maJOR sETaE ON IX–X lighT bROWN; fORE WiNgs uNifORmlY faiNTlY shadEd; cOmpOuNd EYEs WiTh fOuR VENTROlaTERal pigmENTEd OmmaTidia; aNTENNal sEgmENT I palE, II bROWN, III–VIII pROgREssiVElY YEllOW TO lighT bROWN ( Figs 6, 11 ).

ANTENNal sEgmENTs III–IV WiTh fORkEd sENsE cONE shORT aNd sTOuT. ANTERiOR aREa Of hEad iNcludiNg OcEllaR TRiaNglE WiThOuT sculpTuRE liNEs, a fEW TRaNsVERsE sTRiaE NEaR pOsTERiOR maRgiN ( Fig. 9 ); OcEllaR sETaE paiR III aRisE ON OR JusT bEhiNd ThE TaNgENT TO aNTERiOR maRgiNs Of pOsTERiOR OcElli, sETal basEs clOsER TOgEThER ThaN lENgTh Of ThE sETaE ( Fig. 9 ). PRONOTum sTRiaTE, WiTh TWO paiRs Of lONg sETaE (S2 aNd S3) ON pOsTERiOR maRgiN ( Fig. 9 ); pOsTEROmaRgiNal sETaE S1 lEss ThaN 0.2 TimEs as lONg as pRONOTum. METaNOTum RETiculaTE mEdiallY ( Fig. 12 ), mEdiaN sETaE clOsE TO aNTERiOR maRgiN aNd shORTER aNd WEakER ThaN laTERal paiR. FORE WiNg sEcONd VEiN WiTh 2 sETaE ( Fig. 14 ), claVus WiTh 3–4 maRgiNal sETaE, aNd ONE discal sETa; fORE WiNg pOsTERiOR maRgiN WiTh all cilia WaVY. TERgiTEs II–VI WiTh mEdiaN sETaE miNuTE, usuallY clOsER TOgEThER ThaN ThEiR lENgTh; V–VI WiTh 3 sETaE ON laTERal micROTRichial fiEld; VIII WiTh NO discal micROTRichia aNTEROmEdiallY ( Fig. 10 ), pOsTEROmaRgiNal cOmb cOmplETE; IX WiTh NO micROTRichia mEdiallY ( Fig. 10 ). STERNa WiTh micROTRichia pREsENT laTERallY iN ThREE OR fOuR ObliquE ROWs, RaRElY EXTENdiNg mEsad TO maRgiNal sETaE S2.

Measurements of holotype female in microns: BOdY lENgTh 937. HEad WidTh acROss EYEs 145; OcEllaR sETa III 36. PRONOTum, mEdiaN lENgTh 88; maXimum WidTh 167; pOsTEROmaRgiNal sETaE S1 16, S2 46, S3 42. METaNOTal mEdiaN sETaE 22, laTERal sETaE 32. FORE WiNg, lENgTh 645. TERgiTE V mEdiaN sETaE 12. TERgiTE VII mEdiaN sETaE 18. ANTENNal sEgmENTs III–VIII lENgTh 34, 30, 35, 40, 9, 11.

Male macroptera. SmallER aNd palER ThaN fEmalE ( Fig. 7 ), TERgal aNTEcOsTal RidgEs scaRcElY shadEd; TERgum IX WiTh paiR Of shadEd, upWaRdlY cuRVEd, dREpaNaE ( Fig. 13 ). HiNd fEmORa WiThOuT sTOuT daRk sETaE ( Fig. 8 ).

Measurements of male in microns: BOdY lENgTh 833. HEad WidTh acROss EYEs 143; OcEllaR sETa III 34. PRONOTum, lENgTh 81; maXimum WidTh 147; pOsTEROmaRgiNal sETaE S1 14, S2 42, S3 40. METaNOTum submEdiaN sETaE 19. FORE WiNg, lENgTh 526. TERgum V mEdiaN sETaE 11. TERgum VII mEdiaN sETaE 17. ANTENNal sEgmENTs III–VIII lENgTh 29, 29, 33, 38, 8, 10.

Material studied. HOlOTYpE fEmalE, IRAN, FaRs pROViNcE, SaRVEsTaN, Tamarix sp., 29.iV.2016 (KM 1435) . PaRaTYpEs: 10 fEmalEs, 2 malEs cOllEcTEd WiTh hOlOTYpE. 9 fEmalEs, 2 malEs, samE placE aNd plaNT, 9.V.2016 (KM 1457, 1459).

Comments. AmONg ThE 100 spEciEs Of Scirtothrips , ONlY spinosus FauRE fROm SOuTh AfRica shaREs WiTh This NEW spEciEs ThE pREsENcE Of TWO paiRs Of such lONg sETaE ON ThE pOsTERiOR maRgiN Of ThE pRONOTum. ThEsE sETaE, S2 aNd S3, aRE bOTh almOsT 50% as lONg as ThE mEdiaN lENgTh Of ThE pRONOTum. SimilaRlY, WiThiN This gENus ThE ONlY spEciEs ThaT shaREs ThE pREsENcE Of such a lONg paiR Of iNTEROcEllaR sETaE is inermis PRiEsNER ThaT Was dEscRibEd fROm ThE CaNaRY IslaNds buT has bEEN WidElY REpORTEd ( MOuNd & WElls 2015). ThE NEW spEciEs is pREsumablY uNRElaTEd TO inermis bEcausE Of ThE pREsENcE, RaThER ThaN absENcE, Of dREpaNaE ON TERgiTE IX Of malEs. MOREOVER, OcEllaR sETaE paiR III aRisE bETWEEN ThE pOsTERiOR OcElli iN inermis, WhEREas iN hafezi aNd spinosus ThEY aRisE ON ThE TaNgENT bETWEEN ThE aNTERiOR maRgiNs Of ThEsE OcElli. HOWEVER, alThOugh iN spinosus OcEllaR sETaE paiR III aRE shORTER ThaN ThE disTaNcE bETWEEN ThE pOsTERiOR OcElli (Fig. 21 iN MOuNd & STillER 2011), This spEciEs aNd hafezi aRE pRObablY clOsElY RElaTEd. ThEY haVE a similaRlY RETiculaTE mETaNOTum, buT iN fEmalEs hafezi has REmaRkablY fEW micROTRichia ON ThE sTERNiTEs, aNd ThEsE aRE aRRaNgEd iN a fEW WidElY spacEd ObliquE ROWs. MOREOVER, all Of ThE fORE WiNg pOsTEROmaRgiNal cilia aRE WaVY, aNd ThERE aRE lEss ThaN fOuR paiRs Of discal sETaE ON ThE TERgal micROTRichial aREas. JudgiNg fROm ThE ORigiNal illusTRaTiON bY FauRE (1929), ThE dREpaNaE Of malE spinosus aRE pRObablY lEss sTRONglY cuRVEd ThaN iN hafezi . ThE pREsENcE Of pigmENTEd OmmaTidia ON ThE cOmpOuNd EYEs Of hafezi is iNTEREsTiNg, bEcausE inermis has NO such pigmENTEd OmmaTidia, alThOugh ThE cONdiTiON iN spinosus is NOT kNOWN.

Etymology. KhaJE Shams-ud-DiiN Muḥammad ḤafEẓ-E ShiRazi, kNOWN bY his pEN NamE HafEz (1325/ 26–1389/90) Was a PERsiaN pOET WhOsE cOllEcTEd WORks aRE REgaRdEd as a piNNaclE Of PERsiaN liTERaTuRE. His mausOlEum is lOcaTEd iN ThE ciTY Of ShiRaz, capiTal Of FaRs pROViNcE, sOuThERN IRaN. HafEz TOmb is REgaRdEd as ONE Of mOsT famOus aTTRacTiONs iN ShiRaz.

Figures

FIGURES 6–14. Scirtothrips hafezi sp. n. (6) Female; (7) Male; (8) Hind femora and tibia (male); (9) Head and pronotum; (10) Abdominal tergites VII–X; (11) Antenna; (12) Meso and metanotum; (13) Abdominal tergites VIII–X (male); (14) Fore wing.