Aroidothrips

Generic diagnosis

Female macropterous. Head about as long as wide, interantennal projection wider than width of antennal segment I; eyes without pigmented facets; maxillary palps 3-segmented; ocellar setae I present and far anterior to first ocellus, setae II on anterior margins of triangle, setae III between posterior ocelli; four pairs of postocular setae. Antennae 8-segmented; segment I with paired dorso-apical setae, III and particularly IV with apex prolonged, with long forked sense-cones; III–VI with microtrichia on both surfaces. Pronotum wider than long, with two transverse ridges; two pairs of long posteroangular setae; one pair of posteromarginal setae; one pair of long anteromarginal setae. Mesonotum with median pair of setae close to posterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent. Metanotum with weak reticulation; median pair of setae at anterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent. Fore wing first vein with long gap in setal row, two long setae distally; second vein with about eight widely spaced setae; clavus with four veinal and one long discal setae; posteromarginal fringe cilia wavy. Prosternal ferna entire; basantra membranous, without setae; prospinasternum broad and transverse. Meso and metasternal endofurca both with spinula. Tarsi 2-segmented. Tergites without ctenidia or craspeda, VIII with ctenidium-like row of microtrichia anterior to spiracle, posterior margin with about two microtrichia laterally; IX without anterior campaniform sensilla; X without split. Sternites III–VII each with 3 pairs of long marginal setae, II with two pairs, all at margin.
Male similar to female, but sense cones on antennal segments III–VI greatly elongate and extending beyond antennal apex; tergite IX without stout setae; sternites without pore plates.

Biological data

Although several specimens have been collected from Poaceae, in both India and China, nothing is known of the biology of the single remarkably sexually dimorphic species in this genus (Tong et al., 2015). Specimens of both sexes were collected in Malaysia from a species of Selaginella.

Distribution data

Previously recorded only from southern India (Tyagi et al., 2008), the only species in this genus has also been found in southern China (Tong et al., 2015), and both sexes were collected in 2012 at University Kebangsan Malaysia by Ng Foo Yong.

Nomenclatural data

Aroidothrips Ananthakrishnan, 1960: 562. Type species Aroidothrips longistylus Ananthakrishnan, 1960.

Only a single species is known in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2020), and this has been recorded from China:

longistylus Ananthakrishnan, 1960: 562.

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Thripinae: this is a diverse group involving more than 230 genera. This genus is possibly related to Mycterothrips, because of the presence of a pair of dorso-apical setae on the first antennal segment, and the meso and metafurca each with a spinula. The broad interantennal projection suggests a relationship to Filipinothrips, and the presence of three sense cones on the fifth antennal segments suggests a relationship to Craspedothrips.

References

Tong XL, Wang, ZH & Zhao C (2015) Remarkably sexually dimorphic Aroidothrips longistylosus newly recorded from China (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Zootaxa 4028 (1): 148–150.

Tyagi K, Kumar V & Mound LA (2008) Sexual dimorphism among Thysanoptera Terebrantia, with a new species from Malaysia and remarkable species from India in Aeolothripidae and Thripidae. Insect Systematics and Evolution 39: 155–170.

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