Eremiothrips bhattii Minaei, 2012, sp.n.

Eremiothrips bhattii sp.n.

Female macroptera. Body pale yellowish; antennal segments IV–V shaded at margins, segment VI yellowish brown or brown in distal half, VII–VIII brown or yellowish brown; setae on head pale, other setae light brown; fore wing uniformly pale. Head broader than long (Fig. 1), eyes with 6 pigmented facets ventrally; 3 pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III in front of hind ocelli within triangle, about 3 times as long as ocellar setae I and II; 5 pairs of postocular setae (Fig. 1), all setae on head short; maxillary palps 3-segmented. Antennae 8 segmented (Fig. 2), segment I without median dorsal apical setae, III and IV with microtrichia and forked sensoria, sensoria on IV larger than on III (Fig. 2); segment V with inner sensorium conspicuous, longer than apical width of segment, VI without pedicel (Fig. 3).

Pronotum transversely striate, inner pair of posteroangular setae long, outer pair about half as long as inner pair (Fig. 1); about 30 discal setae present; anterior margin with 3–4 pairs of setae, posterior margin with 4 pairs setae scarcely longer than discal setae (Fig. 1), ferna divided into two halves, not connected. Mesonotum with transverse lines, one pair of campaniform sensilla (Fig. 4). Mesosternal anterior margin with about 10 setae; mesoacrotergite with 4 pairs of microsetae. Metanotal sculpture longitudinally linear on anterior half, median setae near anterior margin, closer to lateral pair than to each other; campaniform sensilla present (Fig. 4); mesothoracic sternopleural suture present; spinula present on mesosternum, absent on metasternum. Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing slender with posterior cilia wavy; first vein with about 7 setae on basal half and 3 widely spaced setae on distal half, second vein with 8–9 widely spaced setae; clavus with 4–5 veinal and 1 discal seta (Fig. 5).

Abdominal tergites weakly sculptured medially, without ctenidia or craspeda; tergite II without lateral marginal setae; tergal campaniform sensilla posterolateral to median setae, near posterior margin; tergite VIII without comb, surface with faint transverse reticulation, median campaniform sensilla situated between S1 seta and posterior margin; tergite VIII setae S1 smaller than setae S2, tergite IX median dorsal setae extending to posterior margin of tergite, and with two pairs of campaniform sensilla (Fig. 6); tergite X without longitudinal split; ovipositor developed. Sternites without discal setae or marginal craspedum, II with 2 pairs of marginal setae, III–VII with 3 pairs; pleurotergites with no discal setae.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1136. Head length 88; width across eyes 128; ocellar setae III 21. Pronotum, length 142; maximum width 149; posteroangular (pa) inner setae 40; pa outer setae 22. Fore wing length 544. Metanotal median setae 42. Tergite IX setae S1 75, S2 74. Antennal segments III–VIII length 39, 34, 34, 43, 8, 14.

Male macroptera. Similar to female in colour and structure but smaller, with transverse pore plate on discal area of sternites III–VII (Fig. 7); tergite IX posterior margin without processes (Fig. 8).

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 924. Head length 81; width across eyes 120; ocellar setae III 8. Pronotum, length 112; maximum width 138; pa inner setae 40; pa outer setae 16. Fore wing length 488. Metanotal median setae 33. Sternites III–VII pore plates 53 width (w), 15 length (l); 54 w, 18 l; 55 w, 16 l; 47 w, 14 w; 44 w, 15 l. Antennal segments III–VIII length 33, 33, 31, 41, 6, 13.

Material studied. Holotype female, Iran, Fars province, Shiraz, from Polygonum aviculare, 11.vii. 2011 (KM501).

Paratypes: 9 females, 2 males taken with holotype; same locality and host, 5 females, 12.viii. 2011, 1 female, 19.viii.2011, 5 females, 4 males, 23.ix.2011 (KM508, 514, 560); Badjgah, 2 females, 1 male from Atriplex patula, 19.vii.2011 (KM511), 2 females from Ficus carica, 26.ix.2011 (KM570); Sepidan, 3 females from Onopordum sp., 29.viii.2011 (KM521).

The holotype and most paratypes are deposited in Department of Plant Protection Collection, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. A few paratypes will be deposited in the Natural History Museum, London and Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra.

Comments. Eremiothrips species usually have nine antennal segments, and bhattii is only the second known species with eight segments. The first was E. efflatouni, and this superficially resembles the new species. However females of bhattii have no dark abdominal spots, whereas in efflatouni tergites III–VII have two brown spots laterally that are sometimes confluent (see Bhatti et al. 2003). Tergite IX of the male in bhattii has no processes, and sternites III–VII each have a pore plate, whereas in efflatouni tergite IX bears two processes that are 45–55 microns long, and the sternites have no pore plates. Seven species are known to share with bhattii the presence of sternal pore plates: E. arya, E. dubius, E. farsi, E. hudeci, E. taghizadehi, E. simis and E. zurstrasseni. The transversely oval shape of the pore plates on sternites III–VII in bhattii is also found in E. hudeci and E. zurstrasseni, a condition common amongst Thripinae (Mound 2009). However, the pore plates (Fig. 7) of E. bhattii are not only larger than in these two species, but also larger than any other described species of Eremiothrips (for example see Fig. 10 for E. taghizadehi). E. bhattii is closest to E. farsi and E. similis, which also lack special processes on tergite IX of males, but these species differ in the number of antennal segments. Pore plates are present on sternites III–VII in bhattii, on sternites IV–VII in E. farsi, and on sternites VI–VII in E. similis.

Etymology. The species is named in recognition of the significant contributions by Professor J. S. Bhatti to our knowledge of Eremiothrips during almost 45 years (see Bhatti 1967, 1972, 1988, 2009; Bhatti et al. 2003, 2009; Ramezani et al. 2009).