Rohrthrips pandemicus Ulitzka 2022, sp. n.
Creators: name: Ulitzka, Manfred R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Thysanoptera
Rohrthripidae
Rohrthrips
Rohrthrips pandemicus

description: Rohrthrips pandemicus sp. n.
(Fig. 16)
Female aptera. Body extended, slightly dorsoventrally compressed; left antenna distally of segment II broken off; all legs spread, tibia and tarsus of left mid leg lacking; some segments of right antenna dorsoventrally compressed; sense cones of right antenna as well as numerous setae of thorax and abdomen torn off but for the most part conserved near the body.
Colour (Fig. 16) including antennae, head and legs uniformly light brown.
Head wider than long; sculpture hardly assessable, but rather smooth; produced in front of anterior margin of small eyes, with cheeks slightly rounded behind eyes; cheeks lacking setae. One pair of ocellar setae visible close to base of antennae; pointed, somewhat longer than antennal segment I. Postocular setae far behind compound eyes; pointed, long and stout. Compound eyes reduced to a few facets only. Ocelli not developed.Antennae nine-segmented; segment I barrel-shaped; segment II asymmetrically bent outwards, basally with a short, stout pedicle; III–VI symmetrical and short, inverse conically shaped and tapering distally from level of sense cones, III with very slender pedicle; VII and VIII inverse cone-shaped, distally flat, IX style-shaped. Sensorium on segment II not visible; sense cones of the following segments torn off and preserved close to the segments; one inner and one outer on III–V, one outer on VI and one inner on VII. Mouth cone short and rounded. Palps not assessable. Pronotum broad, wider than long, trapezoidal; posteroangular as well as epimeral setae long and pointed, anteromarginal, mediolateral and posteromarginal setae not visible. Wings not developed. Fore legs with femora stout; fore tarsi with a strong tooth and a hamus. Mid and hind legs slender. All femora with one long ventral and all tibiae with one long dorsal seta; mid and hind tibiae distally each with three spines; mid and hind tarsi two-segmented, with hamus. Abdominal tergites smooth; with lateral setae long, pointed; setae s3 on IV–VII longer than other lateral setae. Abdominal tergite I (pelta) broadly trapezoidal; segment IX conical, with setae s3 about as long as tube. Abdominal segment X (tube) conically extended towards base; its sculpture not assessable; with a terminal crown of anal setae shorter than tube.
Measurements. Female aptera (in microns): Body, length 1686. Head, length 183; width 202. Eyes, length 32; width 32. Ocellar setae 63; postocular setae 76. Prothorax, length 264; width 453; posteroangular setae about 80 (difficult to measure); epimeral setae 94. Abdomen, length 1078; largest width 519 (segments V); segment X (tube), length 235; basal width 100. Setae s3 on tergite IX about 280. Antennae, length 400; length of segment I 53, II 50, III 71, IV 53, V 40, VI 40, VII 40, VIII 34, IX 16 (width not given due to dorsoventral compression). Sense cones, length of inner (outer) on segment III – (19), IV 16 (16), V 14 (16), VI – (19); basal width about 5.
Material studied. Female aptera MU-Fos-146/1 (Fig. 16); inclusion in Burmese amber from Hukawng Valley, Kachin State, Myanmar; donated to the author by Patrick Müller; deposited in the author’s collection.
Syninclusions. Two mites, remnants of other arthropods, different plant trichomes, many tiny brownish droplets; some air bubbles and brown streaks of unknown origin.
Etymology. The species epithet pandemicus comes from the Greek words πᾶν (pan) meaning “all” and δῆΜΟς (demos) meaning the “common people” in sense of the ‘crowd’. The word “pandemic” is used for an infectious disease that has spread across a large region affecting a substantial number of individuals. The new species is dedicated to all mankind suffering at present under the Covid-19 pandemic.
Note. Despite being described here as a new species this specimen may represent the micropterous form of R. maryae or possibly R. breviceps. If further finds clarify the position the name will disappear in revision, just as hopefully Covid-19 will disappear in a not-too-distant future.
description: Published as part of Ulitzka, Manfred R., 2022, New genera and species of Rohrthripidae (Thysanoptera: Tubulifera) from Burmese Cretaceous amber, pp. 1-36 in Zootaxa 5162 (1) on page 16, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5162.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6796605