Azaleothrips sphaericus Dang & Li & Mound & Qiao 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Dang, Lihong
name: Li, Yaya
name: Mound, Laurence A.
name: Qiao, Gexia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Thysanoptera
Phlaeothripidae
Azaleothrips
Azaleothrips sphaericus

description: Azaleothrips sphaericus sp. nov.  
Figs 4, 13, 19-21, 24, 28  
Specimens studied.  
 Holotype, China - Guangxi • ♀ macroptera (SNUT); Chongzuo, Fusui; on dead branch; 8.viii.2021; Xia Wang leg. Paratypes, China - Guangxi • 1♀ macroptera (SNUT); Nanning, Wuming; 18.vii.2021; Xia Wang leg. • 3♀ microptera (SNUT, ANIC); Chongzuo, Daxin; 25.vii.2021; Xia Wang leg. • 1♂ microptera (SNUT); Nanning, Shanglin; 18.vii.2021; Xia Wang leg.   
Description.  
  Holotype. Female macroptera.  Body uniform brown. Antennal segment III clear yellow (Fig. 13); other segments brown, but I-II slightly lighter than head. All femora brown, with apices and extreme bases yellowish; all tibiae brown at middle, with apices and bases yellowish; mid- and hind-tibiae sightly paler. Fore-wing shaded with brown, paler in basal quarter.   
 Head (Fig. 4). Head distinctly longer than wide; dorsal surface strongly sculptured with reticles, with scattered small wrinkles among reticles, especially between postocular setae. Compound eyes comparatively small, about 0.3 times as long as head. Postocular setae shorter than half length of eyes. Antennal segments VII and VIII tightly fused (Fig. 13); median segments spherical, III smaller than IV; segment III with two (1 + 1), segment IV with three (1 + 2) sense cones.   
 Thorax (Figs 19, 20). Pronotum distinctly sculptured with rows of small tubercles, but median portion with distinctive circular sculpture; pronotum with 26 short setae (Fig. 19). Basantra present, but weak. Mesonotum with small, dentate microtrichia or tubercles along transverse lines of sculpture, almost smooth between lines (Fig. 20). Metanotum with polygonal reticulations, with delicate wrinkles within reticles, and with small tubercles along lines of reticles on posterior quarter (Fig. 20); anterior half with 15 short setae, including three pairs in anterior angles. Mesopresternum boat-shaped but narrowed laterally. Metathoracic sternopleural suture present. Fore-tarsus unarmed. Fore-wing contracted medially with 4/7 duplicated cilia; subbasal setae S3 longer than S1 and S2, but much shorter than the contracted portion of fore-wing.   
 Abdomen (Figs 24, 28). Pelta distinctly medially reticulate, with delicate wrinkles within reticles (Fig. 20). Abdominal tergites II-VII weakly sculptured with transverse reticles or lines, dentate microtrichia in lateral third, with two pairs of wing-retaining setae; posterior pair much larger than anterior pair. Tergite VIII with a pair of small setae medially; tergite IX with four short setae at middle (Fig. 28); S1 setae on tergite IX a little shorter than half length of tube, expanded at apex (Fig. 28); S2 slightly longer than S1, expanded at apex (Fig. 28); S3 as long as tube, pointed at apex. Tube short, about 0.6 times as long as head. Anal setae longer than tube.   
Measurements (holotype female in μm). Body length 1580. Head length 170, width across cheeks 165. Compound eye dorsal length 55. Pronotum length 110, width 200. Fore wing length 550. Tube length 105, width across base 55, apical width 30. Antenna length 270, segments I-VIII length (width) as follows: 30 (30), 40 (30), 35 (28), 40 (28), 37 (25), 37 (25), 30 (20), 20 (15). Postocular setae about 23. S1-S3 on tergite IX 43, 53, 115. Anal setae 115.   
Female microptera. Color and structure similar to macropterous female, but tubercles on lines of reticles in most part of head, metanotum, pelta, and posterior median portion of tergites II-VII; metanotum and pelta broad (Fig. 21); eyes and two pairs of wing-retaining setae relatively small.  
Measurements (paratype micropterous female in μm). Body length 1470. Head length 180, width across cheeks 170. Compound eye dorsal length 45. Pronotum length 125, width 210. Fore wing length 125. Tube length 100, width across base 55, apical width 30. Antenna length 305, segments I-VIII length (width) as follows: 30 (30), 42 (30), 35 (27), 40 (27), 40 (27), 40 (27), 27 (20), 25 (17). Postocular setae about 25. S1-S3 on tergite IX 37, 67, 110. Anal setae 125.   
Male microptera. Color and structure very similar to micropterous female, but mid- and hind-tibiae yellow with slightly shaded medially. Pore plate on abdominal sternite VIII distinct, narrow (Fig. 24). S2 on abdominal tergite IX expanded at apex, slightly longer than S1.  
Measurements (paratype micropterous male in μm). Body length 1350. Head length 170, width across cheeks 155. Compound eye dorsal length 45. Pronotum length 120, width 185. Fore wing length 100. Tube length 95, width across base 50, apical width 25. Antenna length 260, segments I-VIII length (width) as follows: 27 (27), 35 (27), 30 (27), 35 (25), 35 (25), 35 (25), 27 (20), 22 (15). Postocular setae 20. S1-S3 on tergite IX 35, 40, 95. Anal setae 105.   
Etymology.  
 Latin, sphaericus, referring to the spherical antennal segment III.   
Comments.  
 This new species is unusual among Azaleothrips species in having antennal segment III almost spherical and smaller than IV, a condition somewhat similar with some Strepterothrips species. The new species is similar to A. phuketanus and A. simulans in having two and three sense cones on antennal segments III and IV, respectively, but it differs from A. phuketanus in having antennal segment III shorter than IV (Fig. 13), the anterior part of metanotum with 15 small setae before the major pair of setae, whole of pronotum covered with tubercles (Figs 19, 20), and S1 setae of tergite IX shorter than one-half the length of the tube (Fig. 28); in A. phuketanus antennal segment III is much longer than IV, the anterior part of metanotum bears seven small setae before the major pair of setae, the pronotum only has tubercles posterior to median, and S1 setae of tergite IX is longer than half the length of tube. It is distinguished from A. simulans in having antennal segments I-II concolorous with the head, VI uniformly brown, antennal segment III shorter than IV (Fig. 13), the dorsal surface of head reticulate and without an asperate area (Fig. 4), the metanotum with wrinkles among reticles and the anterior part of metanotum with 15 small setae before the major pair of setae (Fig. 20), and a hat-shaped pelta; in A. simulans antennal segments I and II are paler than the brown head, the basal neck of VI is yellow, antennal segment III much longer than IV, the dorsal surface of the head is reticulate but medially is aspirate and not reticulate, the metanotum is strongly asperate and without lines of reticulation at centrally, the anterior part of metanotum has at most 10 small setae before the major pair of setae, and the pelta is trapezoid. It is also similar to A. moundi in having antennae brown and only with III yellow and with two sense cones, in sculpture of the head and pronotum, and setae on tergite IX, but these species can be distinguished as follows. Azaleothrips sphaericus has antennal segment IV with three major sense cones, antennal segment III spherical, with a short stem (Fig. 13) which is almost as long as wide, antennal segment IV uniformly brown, postocular setae about half length of the eyes (Fig. 4), apices and bases of all tibiae pale, light brown, and pelta with tubercles on lines of transverse reticulation in microptera (Fig. 21); in A. moundi antennal segment IV has two major sense cones, antennal segment III is not spherical and longer than wide, basal neck of IV is paler, postocular setae shorter than one-half length of the eyes, all tibiae brown to dark brown, apices and bases of mid- and hind-tibia pale, and pelta polygonally reticulate in microptera.
description: Published as part of Dang, Lihong, Li, Yaya, Mound, Laurence A. & Qiao, Gexia, 2023, The Oriental fungus-feeding genus Azaleothrips Ananthakrishnan, 1964 from China with one new species and four new records (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae, Phlaeothripinae), pp. 219-231 in ZooKeys 1183 on page 219, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1183.113182