Merothrips morgani Hood 1912

Merothrips morgani Hood (Figs 5–6)

Male apterous. Body uniformly pale. Head longer than wide; eyes reduced; without ocelli; ocellar setae III long and setaceous; vertex largely eroded; fore legs enlarged with one stout tooth on the inner margin of femora; pronotum trapezoidal, with converging longitudinal lines medially, one pair of long posteroangular setae; mesosternum and metasternum endofurca with well developed spinula; mesonotum, metanotum and abdominal segments with smooth sculpture or a few very weak lines.

Comments. This species is known mainly from eastern North America (Mound & O’Neill 1974), although a few individuals have been recorded from Panama, Hawaii, Australia and India, and a single male specimen is here recorded from Malaysia. In both sexes the pronotum bears strong lines of sculpture that form an hour-glass shape (Fig. 5; see also Figs 8 & 10 in Mound & O’Neill, 1974). In contrast, the sculpture lines of the new species described below are both considerably weaker and more extensive.

Specimens examined: Peninsular Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Templer Park, 1 male from fern, 3.viii.2012 (Ng, Y.F.)