Scirtothrips malayensis, Ng & Mound & Azidah, 2014

Ng, Y. F., Mound, L. A. & Azidah, A. A., 2014, The genus Scirtothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Malaysia, with four new species and comments on Biltothrips, a related genus, Zootaxa 3856 (2), pp. 253-266 : 262-265

Scirtothrips malayensis sp.n.

( Figs 27–32 )

Female macroptera. Body yellow, weakly shaded in ocellar triangle and on frons between antennal sockets, also at posterior margin of head, but vertex pale; antennal segment I pale, II–VIII shaded; fore wing shaded basally including clavus, but paler toward apex; abdominal tergites III–VII without dark markings medially, but sometimes very weakly shaded laterally, antecostal ridge dark brown; sternites without dark areas but IV–VII with dark brown antecostal ridge.

Antennae 8-segmented, forked sensoria on III–IV short, not reaching more than one-third the length of succeeding segment; ocellar triangle with widely spaced irregular transverse striae, ocellar setae III close together arising between hind ocelli, 2 pairs of long po setae. Pronotum transversely striate, but striae varying from straight to slightly undulating, and from 8 to 16 striae per 30 microns, and 6–10 discal setae; 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae, pm2 long, usually 2.5–3 times longer than pm1. Metanotum reticulate; median setae behind anterior margin. Fore wing second vein with one seta, clavus with 3 marginal setae, and 1 discal seta. Abdominal tergites II–VII with setae S1 wider apart than their length; VIII with one or more transverse rows of microtrichia medially; IX with microtrichia present posteromedially, X with very weak microtrichia. Sternal microtrichia areas not extending mesad of posteromarginal setal pair S2.

Measurements (female in microns). Distended body length 968. Head length 64, width across eyes 137. Pronotum, length 79, width 156; posteromarginal pm1setae 13, pm2 39. Metanotum median setae 11, submedian setae 21. Fore wing, length 494; distal seta on second vein length 18. Antennae length 204; segments III–VI length 33, 35, 28, 32. Tergites III–VI S1 length 8–13, distance between bases 22–38.

Male macroptera. Similar in colour and sculpture to female, but smaller and paler; Abdominal tergite IX with drepanae.

Material studied. Holotype female: MALAYSIA, Terengganu, Gunung Tebu, on Allamanda sp. (Apocynaceae) , 1–6.viii.2012 (Ng, Y.F.). (in CISUKM) .

Paratypes: 7 females collected with holotype; Pahang, Tasik Chiini , 2 females on Allamanda sp. , 28.i.2013 (Ng, Y.F.), (in CISUKM and ANIC); Gombak , 1 female from Clerodendron myricoides lvs, 4.iii.2007; Selangor, Kota Damansara , 4 females from Barringtonia sp. , 17.iv.2011, (in CISUKM, MZUM and ANIC) .

Comments. This is probably another widespread and common species in tropical Asia. It is similar in structure to S. dobroskyi , but is distinguished in the key above by the presence of microtrichia on tergite VIII, and the greater distance between the setal pair S1 medially on the abdominal tergites. However, there is considerable variation between the available specimens in the form of the pronotal sculpture ( Figs 27, 28 ).

Figures

FIGURES 27–32. Scirtothrips malayensis sp.n. (27) Head, pronotum and metascutum (Holotype); (28) Head, pronotum and metascutum (Paratype variant); (29) Antenna; (30) Abdominal tergites IV–VI; (31) Abdominal tergites VII–VIII; (32) Abdominal sternites V–VII.