Androthrips monsterae (Moulton, 1940)

(Figs 2, 3, 6, 17–20, 22, 25–26)

Podothrips monsterae Moulton, 1940: 267.

Androthrips monsterae (Moulton) Ritchie, 1974: 264.

Androthrips guiyangensis Sha, Feng & Duan, 2003: 14. Syn. nov.

This species was originally described from two females and one male collected on leaves of Monstera deliciosa in Koitaki, New Guinea. Moulton (1940) placed it in the genus Podothrips based on the armature of the fore legs, but Ritchie (1974) transferred it to Androthrips after examining a paratype female. The species has subsequently been recorded from Australia (Mound & Minaei 2007) and from Guangdong, China (Zhao et al. 2015). Sha et al. (2003) described A. guiyangensis as a new species from Guizhou, China, comparing it only with A. ramachandrai. However, as noted by Zhao et al. (2015), A. guiyangensis is very similar to A. monsterae. In the original description, Sha et al. (2003) stated that the pronotal anteroangular setae were reduced and the anteromarginal setae well developed, with the pronotum fully sculptured with transverse reticulation. Examination of two paratype females, however, shows the opposite condition: the pronotal anteroangular setae are well developed, the anteromarginals are reduced to small setae, and the pronotal dorsal surface is almost smooth, lacking sculpture (Fig. 20). As there is no significant morphological difference between A. monsterae and A. guiyangensis, the latter is here placed in synonymy with the former. Androthrips monsterae can be readily distinguished from A. crus and A. ramachandrai by having all tarsi clear yellow.

Specimens examined. Paratypes of guiyangensis: 2 females macropterae, CHINA, Guizhou, Guiyang City, from Cinnamomum mairei, 08.X.1995, collected by Xianglin Xie. Specimens of monsterae: 1 female macroptera, CHINA, Yunnan, Dehong City, Mangshi County, from Ficus, 27.IX.2008, collected by Jia Liu & Jiamei Mao; 4 females macropterae, CHINA, Guangdong, Guangzhou City, from Ficus, 20.VIII.2007, collected by Ling Zeng.