Neandrothrips uniformis Okajima & Masumoto, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Okajima, Shûji
name: Masumoto, Masami
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Thysanoptera
Phlaeothripidae
Neandrothrips
Neandrothrips uniformis

description: Neandrothrips uniformis sp. nov.
(Figs 302–303, 331–338)
Female (macroptera). Distended body length: 1.4–1.5mm. Body brown (Fig. 302). All femora brown; fore and mid tibiae brownish, with extreme bases paler; hind tibiae brownish, a little paler than mid tibiae, with basal one-third and extreme apices pale; tarsi yellow. Antenna brown, segment III a little paler than segment IV, with base paler. Fore wing scarcely shaded with brown. Major body setae pale. Head (Fig. 331) longer than wide, 1.1–1.2 times as long as wide, 1.17 times in holotype, widest across cheeks just behind eyes; dorsal surface very weakly sculptured with transverse striae or reticulation. Cheeks very weakly rounded, weakly serrated. Eyes about one-third as long as head. Ocelli relatively small; posterior pair separated from eyes, 23µm apart from each other in holotype. Postocular setae shorter than eyes, expanded; 88µm apart from each other, 8–10µm apart from eyes in holotype. Antennae (Fig. 338) about 1.9 times as long as head, 1.94 times in holotype; segment VIII slender, weakly constricted at base, narrowly joined to VII, usually longer than 0.7 times as long as VII; segment III a little longer than segment IV, longer than segment VII; segments III and IV each with three sense cones, (1+2) and (1+2 +1) respectively, but segment III rarely with two (1+1) sense cones. Maxillary stylets scarcely reaching postocular setae, wider apart, almost V-shaped; maxillary bridge weak, 0.44 times as wide as head in holotype. Pronotum (Fig. 331) about 0.7 times as long as head, 0.72 times in holotype, about 1.7 times as wide as long; almost smooth; five pairs of prothoracic setae developed, expanded, am and aa subequal in length, shorter than ml; pa and epim subequal in length, longer than ml, almost as long as postocular setae. Prospinasternum (Fig. 332) irregularly fan-shaped, 28µm wide in holotype; mesopresternum complete. Mesonotal lateral setae developed, expanded, about 20µm in length. Metanotum (Fig. 333) sculptured with reticulation, but weak at middle; median pair of setae pointed, 20–25µm, their distance wider than the distance between that seta and anterior margin of metanotum, 53µm apart from each other, 26–27µm apart from anterior margin in holotype. Fore tarsus with a distinct tooth (Fig. 335). Fore wing with 4–6 duplicated cilia; three sub-basal setae expanded, S1 shorter than S2, S3 the longest. Pelta (Fig. 334) shaped irregularly trpezoid, sculptured distinctly, about 1.7 times as wide as long. Tergites III – VIII S2 setae: III – VI expanded, VII sharply pointed, VIII bluntly pointed. Tergite IX S1 setae almost pointed, a little shorter than tube, S2 sharply pointed, a little longer than tube; intermediate setae about half of S1. Tube about 0.6 times as long as head, 0.59 times in holotype, about 2.0 times as long as wide; terminal setae 1.6–1.7 times as long as tube.
Measurements (holotype female in µm). Body length 1420 (distended incompletely. If fully distended, it can be inferred about 1500). Head length 155, from anterior margin of eyes 143, width across eyes 129, maximum width across cheeks 133, minimum width across base 116; eyes length 52; diameter of posterior ocelli 10–12; postocular setae 35–40. Maxillary bridge width 59.Antenna total length about 300, segments III–VIII length (width) as follows: 42 (23), 40 (24), 40 (21), 38 (19), 37 (17), 29 (9). Pronotum length 112, width 187. Setae on prothorax: am 26–27, aa 26–27, ml 35–39, pa 40, epim 40. Fore wing length 580. Sub-basal wing setae: S1 33, S2 42, S3 47 –48. Pelta length 52, width 88. Tergite IX setae: S1 88, S2 95–100. Tube length 92, maximum width 47; terminal setae 153–155.
Male (macroptera). Distended body length: 1.1–1.3 mm. Very similar to macropterous female, but show allometric growth. Large male: prothorax enlarged, 0.72 times as long as head, about 1.5 times as wide as long; fore femora enlarged (Fig. 336), fore tarsal tooth stout; tergite IX S1 setae blunt or very weakly expanded.
Measurements (paratype small–large males in µm). Body length 1150–1290 (distended). Head length 145– 150, from anterior margin of eyes 133–142, width across eyes 112–119, maximum width across cheeks 115–123, minimum width across base 97–102; eyes length 51–51; diameter of posterior ocelli 8–13; postocular setae 32–40. Maxillary bridge width 52–60. Antenna total length 260–285, segments III–VIII length as follows: 36–40, 35–37, 33–34, 33–34, 33–34, 25–27. Pronotum length 87–109, width 143–164. Setae on prothorax: am 22–23, aa 20–23, ml 28–36, pa 30–37, epim 32–36. Fore wing length 470–520. Sub-basal wing setae: S1 28 –32, S2 32 –37, S3 33 –45. Pelta length 45–49, width 70–76. Tergite IX setae: S1 69–78, S2 13 –19. Tube length 79–82, maximum width 38–41; terminal setae 133–140.
Type material. Holotype: macropterous female, Peninsular Malaysia, NE 13km from Tapah, on dead leaves, 27.vii.1976, SO. Paratypes: Peninsular Malaysia, 1 female, collected together with holotype; 2 females and 1 male, NE 30km from Tapah, on dead leaves, 3.iii.1976, W. Suzuki; Tapah, on dead leaves, 8 females and 6 males, 26.vii.1976, 2 females and 1 male, 28.vii.1976, 2 females, 30.vii.1976, SO; 1 female, about 20km N from Kuala Lumpur, Templer Park, on dead leaves, 15.viii.1990, TN & SO.
Comments. This species is described from Peninsular Malaysia based on several females and males taken from dead leaves, and it seems to be a fungus-feeder. It may be included in the pictipes -group, and closely related to N. yangmingshanae sp. nov. described below from Taiwan. However, uniformis has three major sense cones on antennal segment IV, although yangmingshanae has four major sense cones. One paratype female has only two (1+1) sense cones on the left antennal segment III.
description: Published as part of Okajima, Shûji & Masumoto, Masami, 2025, Review of the ' Xylaplothrips-complex' (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) from East Asia, pp. 1-108 in Zootaxa 5608 (1) on pages 86-87, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5608.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15214473