Mystrothrips gracilis Wang, Li & Zhang, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wang, Chen
name: Li, Yajin
name: Zhang, Hongrui
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Thysanoptera
Phlaeothripidae
Mystrothrips
Mystrothrips gracilis

description: Mystrothrips gracilis sp. nov.
(Figs 1–3, 7 –14, 18 & 19)
Female macroptera. Body bicolored, head and thorax brown, antenna brown but segment III slightly paler than other segments, tergites II, IX and tube brown, tergites III–VIII pale brown, at least paler than head and thorax, all legs brownish yellow, fore wings paler brown, but transparent at basal and middle part.
Head strongly reticulate, relatively broad; compound eyes normal about one-third of head length; cheeks parallel and sharply constricted behind eyes; ocelli developed, all ocelli setae small and acute; postocular setae extending to eyes, apices capitate and fringed; mid-dorsal setae small and acute; maxillary stylets wide apart, scarcely retracted to postocular setae; mouth cone short and rounded. Antennae 8-segmented with slightly reticulate surfaces; segments III and IV with 3 long and slender sense cones, about half length of segments III and IV; III–VIII all narrowed at base forming slender pedicel, VIII distinctly slender and constricted at base.
Pronotum sculptured; 5 pairs of major setae with apices capitate and fringed; notopleural sutures complete. Mesonotum reticulate, lateral setae long with capitate, fringed apices. Metanotum reticulate, median setae long and pointed. Fore tarsus with strong, curved tooth. Fore wings parallel, each with 3 large capitate, fringed setae and without duplicated cilia. Prosternal basantra absent, ferna broad with median margins parallel and close together; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent.
Pelta hat-shaped, reticulate, with one pair of campaniform sensilla; tergites II–IV transversely reticulate at anterior half and with simple lines at posterior half, tergites V–VII transversely reticulate with sculpture lines bearing slightly dentate microtrichia at anterior half and with simple lines at posterior half, tergites VIII & IX transversely reticulate with sculpture lines bearing slightly dentate microtrichia at anterior half and smooth at posterior half, tergites II–VIII each with one pair of capitate major setae on posterior margin and one pair on posterior angles, tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae and tergite VIII with one pair; tergite IX setae S1 broadly capitate, S2 weakly capitate, S3 acute, intermediate setae acute and slightly longer than half-length of S1; tube shorter than head, anal setae shorter than tube.
Female microptera. Very similar to holotype but slightly darker, with all body brown, ocelli developed and also with one pair of wing-retaining setae on tergite VIII.
Measurements (holotype female macroptera in microns). Body length 2030. Head, length 207; maximum width 169; postocular setae 50; mid-dorsal setae 17. Pronotum, length 125; maximum width 267; major setae—am 31, aa 22, ml 39, epim 72, pa 49. Mesonotal lateral setae 32. Metanotal median setae 38. Fore wing length 827, setae— S1 37, S2 44, S3 53. Tergite IX setae, S1 130, intermediate seta 83, S2 145. Tube length 152. Antennal segments III–VIII length (width) 83(30), 89(27), 86(25), 73(23), 46(20), 46(12).
Male macroptera. Very similar to female but a little smaller, fore femur distinctly expanded, tergite IX setal pair S2 about one-third length of S1; sternite VIII without sternal pore plate.
Measurements (paratype male macroptera in microns). Body length 1678. Head length 184. Pronotum length 121. Tube length 130.
Specimens examined. Holotype female macroptera, CHINA, Yunnan, Kunming City, Arboretum, (N 25° 08’ E 102° 43’, 2006m asl), from under the bark of Eucalyptus trees still attached to the trunk, 11.viii.2011, collected by Nie Jing & Wang Jing.
FIGURES 14–18. Antennae. (14) M. gracilis; (18) M. gracilis, antenna segments III–IV. (15) M. levis. (16) M. longantennus (17) M. reteanum antenna segments I–VIII.
FIGURES 19–22. Tergite VIII–X. (19) M. gracilis. (20) M. levis. (21) M. longantennus: (22) M. reteanum.
Paratypes: one female microptera, two female and one male macroptera collected together with holotype.
Etymology. The name refers to long and slender antennae segments of this species, “ gracilis ” latinus means “long and slender”.
Comments. This new species is similar to M. orientalis and ophthalmus from Japan in having long maxillary stylets and a pair of wing retaining setae on tergite VIII (Okajima & Urushihara 1992; Okajima 2006). However, it can be easily distinguished from the other two species by the following characters: head entirely reticulate and metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. This new species maybe a new member of dammermanni species-group. The three species gracilis, ophthalmus and orientalis each have a pair of wing retaining setae on tergite VIII, and can thus easily be distinguished from other four species in this group.
Acknowledgements. We are particularly grateful to Prof. Dang Lihong, School of Bioscience and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, China, Prof. Shûji Okajima & Masami Masumoto, Laboratory of Entomology, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan, for their help of identification, and to Prof.Tong Xiaoli for the loan of specimens of M. levis, M. longantennus, and M. reteanum, and the help of identification. Special thanks to the two anonymous reviewers.
description: Published as part of Wang, Chen, Li, Yajin & Zhang, Hongrui, 2025, A new species of Mystrothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) from China, pp. 390-394 in Zootaxa 5632 (2) on pages 391-394, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5632.2.11, http://zenodo.org/record/15371700