Ethirothrips indicus (Bagnall)

Okajima, Shûji & Masumoto, Masami, 2023, Six genera of the subtribe Macrothripina from Southeast Asia to Taiwan (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae, Idolothripinae), Zootaxa 5291 (1), pp. 1-74 : 28

Ethirothrips indicus (Bagnall)

Mesothrips indicus (Bagnall), 1921b: 365 –366.

E. indicus was originally described from Dehra Dun, India under the genus Mesothrips by Bagnall and has characterised short antennal segment III and long and curved sense-cones. Chen (1982) recorded Dichaetothrips indicus (= E. indicus ) from Taiwan based on 2 females. The records of E. indicus from China (Taiwan) in both Mirab-Balou et al. (2011) and Dang et al. (2013) were probably based on this. Subsequently, however, Wang et al. (2019) suggested that D. indicus recorded from Taiwan by Chen was misidentification of E. virgulae (Chen) , but this treatment remains questionable. Chen briefly described D. indicus from Taiwan with the postocellar setae “longer than one side of ocellar triangle”, 32–34 duplicated cilia on the fore wing, and the tube longer than head, whereas virgulae has minute postocellar setae, 14–23 duplicated cilia and the tube shorter and usually almost as long as head or a little shorter. According to the literatures including the original description ( Bagnall 1921b; Mound 1968; Ananthakrishnan & Jagadish 1970), indicus has postocellar setae long but somewhat variable in length ranged from 35 to 65μm, 32–40 duplicated cilia and the tube long, about 1.3 times as long as head. E. rubeus Wang described from Taiwan is probably very similar to indicus in having the antennal segment III short with extremely long and curved sense-cones and the tube long, but rubeus has short postocellar setae and fewer duplicated cilia. Therefore, there is a possibility that two females recorded from Taiwan by Chen are true indicus , and further investigations are required. Unfortunately, no specimens of indicus have been examined in this study.