Konothrips polychaeta: A new species of Thrips from Delaware, USA.

Thrips are tiny (usually less than one millimetre) Insects with greatly reduced wings that resemble feathery stubs. They are plant-parasites, with some species being significant agricultural pests, but due to their small size are often overlooked, and apart from a few species with major economic impact, are not well studied. The genus Konothrips is known only from the southern United States, where two species have been found living inside the flowers of Grasses.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 1 November 2017, Arturo Goldarazena of the Earth and Life Institute Biodiversity Research Centre at the Université catholique de Louvain, Adam Mitchell of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, and Thierry Hance, also of the Earth and Life Institute Biodiversity Research Centre, describe a third species of Konothrips from Delaware.

The new species is named Konothrips polychaeta, which means 'many hairs', though an explanation for this is not given. The species is described from two female specimens found inside the flowers of the Broom-sedge, Andropogon virginicus, in the Ashland Natural Reserve in New Castle County. These measure 200 μm and 190μm in length, respectively, and are brown in colour with a darker head and forequarters.

Konothrips polychaeta, female specimen. Goldarazena et al. (2017).

Goldarazena et al. note that Broom-sedge is found across the eastern United States as far north as the Great Lakes, and that Konothrips polychaeta could potentially have an equally large distribution. The larvae of all species of Konothrips are unknown, but the closely related Old World genus Chirothrips are known to live entirely within flowers, making it likely that those of Konothrips do the same.

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Terthrothrips levigatus & Terthrothrips trigonius: Two new species of Thrips from south China.

Thrips are tiny (usually less than one millimetre) Insects with greatly reduced wings that resemble feathery stubs. They are plant-parasites, with some species being significant agricultural pests, but due to their small size are often overlooked, and apart from a few species with major economic impact, are not well studied. The genus Terthrothrips are fungivorous Thrips found predominantly in the tropical forests of Central and South America, though five species have been found in Asia, four of them in China.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 25 September 2017, Chao Zhao and Xiaoli Tong of the Department of Entomology at South China Agricultural University, describe two new species of Terthrothrips from China.

The first new species is named  Terthrothrips levigatus, meaning smooth, referring to an absence of ornamentation on parts of the thorax where ornamentation is found in other species of the genus. The species is described from a female collected in the Shimen National Forest Park, and a male and female collected in the Dinghushan National Nature Reserve, both in Guangdong Province. One of the females was measured at 1725 μm in length, while the male was 1300 μm. All specimens are brown in colour.

Terthrothrips levigatus, female (left) and male (right). Zhao & Tong (2017).

The second new species is named Terthrothrips trigonius, meaning 'triangular' in reference to the shape of the pelta (a shield-like structure on the top of the thorax). This species is described from two female and five male specimens collected from Guangdong, Hunan and Guizhou provinces in south China. One of the female specimens was measured at 1720 μm in length, while the male was 1470 μm. This species is also brown in colour.

Terthrothrips trigonius, female (left) and male (right). Zhao & Tong (2017).

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Caliothrips chiapas: A new species of Thrips from Mexico.

Thrips are tiny (usually less than one millimetre) Insects with greatly reduced wings that resemble feathery stubs. They are plant-parasites, with some species being significant agricultural pests, but due to their small size are often overlooked, and apart from a few species with major economic impact, are not well studied. The genus Caliothrips is apparently one of the best known Thrips groups, with twenty-two described species from across the tropics, however almost nothing is known about most of these species beyond brief descriptions made when they were named.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 12 July 2017, Laurence Mound of the Australian National Insect Collection, and Francisco Infante of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur describe a new species of Caliothrips from Chiapas State in southern Mexico.

The new species is named Caliothrips chiapas in reference to the state where it was discovered. The species is brown and yellow in colour with females reaching slightly over a millimetre in length, and the males a little smaller. The species was found living on the leaves of the Little Sunflower (Girasolillo), Tithonia tubiformis, but, significantly, not on its flowers, nor on any other species of plant found nearby. Interestingly the flowers were home to a range of other Thrips, none of which were found on the leaves. This suggests that Thrips are particular, not just in what plants they live upon, but in what plant of the plant they inhabit. Such information is recorded for very few species of Thrips, with many species, particularly in the tropics, known only from individuals obtained by beating plants to see what drops out. 

Caliothrips chiapas, host-plant and immatures. (1) Tithonia tubiformis. (2) Caliothrips chiapas larvae on leaf. (3) Caliothrips chiapas slide-mounted second instar larva. Mounde & Infante (2017).
 

Caliothrips chiapas was found growing on plants around the edge of a Pineapple field in the municipality of Frontera Hidalgo in Chiapas State, close to the border with Guatemala.

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Frankliniella veracrucensis: A new species of Thrips from Mexico.

Thrips (the word is both singular and plural),Thripidae, are very small Insects with wings reduced to feathery growths (though this is sufficient to support them in flying due to their small size). Flower Thrips, Frankliniella spp., are a large group of plant-feeding Thrips, predominantly found in the American Tropics, that feed by sucking fluids from plants, and as such are important agricultural pests, both for their ability to damage plants directly and their ability to act as a vector for plant pathogens.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 9 February 2017, Arturo Goldarencena and Thierry Hance of the Earth and Life Institute Biodiversity Research Centre at the Université catholique de Louvian, describe a new species of Flower Thrips from the cloud forests of Coatepec in Veracruz State, Mexico.

The new species is named Frankliniella veracrucensis, meaning 'from Veracuz'. The species is described from three male and three female specimens gathered from the flowers of Mexican Bush Sage, Salvia leucantha, growing in cloud forests. The specimens are yellow in colour, and have seven segments to their antennae (most Flower Thrips have eight). A measured female specimen was 1295 μm in length, while a male was 1071 μm.

 Frankliniella veracrucensis: (1) Habitus female; (2) Head and Pronotum female; (3) Antennal segment III female; (4) Antenna female; (5. Mesonotum and metanotum female. Goldarencena & Hance (2017).

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Western Flower Thrips reported in India.

Thrips (the word is both singular and plural),Thripidae, are very small Insects with wings reduced to feathery growths (though this is sufficient to support them in flying due to their small size). They feed by sucking fluids from plants, and as such are important agricultural pests, both for their ability to damage plants directly and their ability to act as a vector for plant pathogens.

In a paper published in the journal Halteres on 5 March 2015, Kaomud Tyagi and Vikas Kumar of the Centre for DNA Taxonomy at the Zoological Survey of India describe the discovery of four specimens of the Western Flower Thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, from a Tomato plantation at Bangalore in Karnataka State.

Western Flower Thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, female specimen in dorsal view. Tyagi& Kumar (2015).

The Western Flower Thrips is known to be a vector of Tospoviruses, a group of highly pathogenic plant viruses which cause a number of serious crop diseases. To date fourteen species of Thrips have been demonstrated to carry Topoviruses, and the Western Flower Thrips is known to carry at least five different members of the group, including the Tomato spotted wilt virus, which is estimated to have caused over a billion dollars worth of damage to Tomato crops around the globe in the early 1990s. To make matters worse, unlike many Insects which feed by sucking fluids from plants, the Western Flower Thripsis capable of feeding from a wide variety of plants, and therefore very hard to eradicate once it becomes established as it quickly builds up a reserve population in wild plants unaffected by eradication measures in crop fields. As such the discovery of the species in India is a matter of serious concern.

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Fossil Thrips from the Early Eocene of France.                                                                           Thrips (the term is both singular and plural) are tiny (usually less than 1 mm) Insects related to Lice and True Bugs. They have wings, but are poor flyers, and feed by sucking fluids from plant or animal hosts. Thrips do not undergo metamorphosis, the young...

 

Three new species of Thrips from Japan, Malaysia and Australia.                                    Thrips (the term is both singular and plural) are tiny (usually less than 1 mm) Insects related to Lice and True Bugs. They have wings, but are poor flyers, and feed by sucking fluids from plant or animal hosts. Thrips do not undergo metamorphosis, the young are essentially smaller, non-reproducing versions of...

Four new species of Thrips from China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia.                                                                  Thrips (the term is both singular and plural) are tiny (usually less than 1 mm) Insects related to Lice and True Bugs. They have wings, but are poor flyers...

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Fossil Thrips from the Early Eocene of France.

Thrips (the term is both singular and plural) are tiny (usually less than 1 mm) Insects related to Lice and True Bugs. They have wings, but are poor flyers, and feed by sucking fluids from plant or animal hosts. Thrips do not undergo metamorphosis, the young are essentially smaller, non-reproducing versions of the adults. Due to their small size and ubiquitous nature, it is probable that Thrips are one of the larger Insect groups, though they are relatively understudied, with little work carried out on Thrips that do not have agricultural significance.

In a paper published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica on 19 December 2011, Patricia Nel of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris and AgroParisTech, Alexander Schmidt of the Courant Research Centre Geobiology at Georg−August−Universität Göttingen, Claus Bässler of the Nationalparkverwaltung Bayerischer Wald and André Nel, also of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle describe a new species of Thrips from Oise Amber, which originates from the early Eocene of the Paris Basin (about 53 million years old, close to the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum).

The new species is placed in the genus Uzelothrips, and given the species name eocenicus, meaning from the Eocene. The genus Uzelothrips has to date contained only a single species, the extant Uzelothrips scabrosus, which has been recorded from Brazil, Singapore, Australia and Angola. Uzelothrips eocenicus is almost identical to the modern species, differing only in the antennae, on which segments III and IV are fused in the modern species but separate in the Eocene one. The species is described from two specimens, one female and one of uncertain sex.

Macropterous specimen of Uzelothripid Insect Uzelothrips eocenicus, Lowermost Eocene, Le Quesnoy, Oise, France. (A) Dorsal view; inset: detail of antennal segments III and IV. (B) Drawings of right antennal segments III and IV in dorsal (B1) and ventral (B2) views. (C) Camera lucida drawing of in dorsal view. Nel et al. (2011).

Nel et al. also found a number of fungal fragments attached to one of the specimens. These are thought to be from a Sooty Mould, a type of fungus that primarily gains nutrients from the excreta of Aphids, Scale Insects etc. These have not previously been documented from Thrips, but examination of photographic records of Uzelothrips scabrosus showed that several specimens were in fact carrying similar Fungi.

Ascomycetes found attached to the cuticle of the fossil and extant Uzelothripid Insects. The small panels show higher magnification images of some fossil and extant fungi found at the locations indicated by the arrows. (A) Fossil apterous specimen of Uzelothrips eocenicus. The image is composed of photographs obtained from those optical sections which show the attached fungi most clearly. The arrowhead in the uppermost left panel indicates a Capnosporium−like conidium; the arrowhead in the middle right panel indicates a tapering hypha tip with dividing stage. (B) Recent specimen of Uzelothrips scabrosus. The asterisk refers to the elongated hypha that has possibly grown on the surface of the thrips after attachment. Nel et al. (2011).

See also...

 Three new species of Thrips from Japan, Malaysia and Australia.

 Four new species of Thrips from China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

 A new species of Thrips from Chiapas State, Mexico.

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Three new species of Thrips from Japan, Malaysia and Australia.

Thrips (the term is both singular and plural) are tiny (usually less than 1 mm) Insects related to Lice and True Bugs. They have wings, but are poor flyers, and feed by sucking fluids from plant or animal hosts. Thrips do not undergo metamorphosis, the young are essentially smaller, non-reproducing versions of the adults. Due to their small size and ubiquitous nature, it is probable that Thrips are one of the larger Insect groups, though they are relatively understudied, with little work carried out on Thrips that do not have agricultural significance.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 10 September 2013, Masami Masumoto of the Yokohama Plant Protection Station, Yong Foo Ng of the Centre for Insect Systematics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Shûji Okajima of the Laboratory of Entomology, Tokyo University of Agriculture, describe three new species of Thrips found living on Padans (Palm-like, fruit producing trees and shrubs) in Japan, Malaysia and Australia. All three species are placed in the new genus Pandanothrips.

The first new species is named Pandanothrips hallingi, presumably in honour of the collector of the specimens, Luke Halling, though no explanation is given. Pandanothrips hallingi is a 1.2-1.4 mm brown Thrips. The species is described from five female and one male specimens found on Padan fruit at Cape Leveque in Western Australia.

Pandanothrips hallingi, female (left) and male (right). Masumoto et al. (2013).

The approximate location of the site where Pandanothrips hallingi was discovered. Google Maps.

The second new species described is named Pandanothrips ryukyuensis, meaning 'from Ryukyu', though again no explanation is provided. Pandanothrips ryukyuensis is 1.3-1.5 mm brown Thrips. The species is described from 27 female and 2 male specimens collected from the flowers and young fruit of the Bonin Padan (Pandanus boninensis) at Naha on Okinawa Island in the Ryūkyū Archipelago.

Pandanothrips ryukyuensis, female (left) and male (right). Masumoto et al. (2013).

The approximate location of the site where Pandanothrips ryukyuensis was discovered. Google Maps.

The final new species described is named Pandanothrips wangi, presumably a reference to the Pandan Wangi Plant (Pandanus amaryllifolius), from which the specimens used to describe the species were collected. Pandanothrips wangi is a 1.1 mm bicoloured (light and dark brown) Thrips. The species is described from eleven female and three male specimens collected from Padan Wangi leaves in the Lata Belatan Forest Reserve in Terengganu State, and at Bangi Lama in Selangor State, both in Peninsula Malaysia.

Pandanothrips wangi, female (left) and male (right). Masumoto et al. (2013).

The approximate location of the site where Pandanothrips wangi was discovered. Google Maps.

See also Four new species of Thrips from China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia and A new species of Thrips from Chiapas State, Mexico.

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Four new species of Thrips from China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Thrips (the term is both singular and plural) are tiny (usually less than 1 mm) Insects related to Lice and True Bugs. They have wings, but are poor flyers, and feed by sucking fluids from plant or animal hosts. Thrips do not undergo metamorphosis, the young are essentially smaller, non-reproducing versions of the adults. Due to their small size and ubiquitous nature, it is probable that Thrips are one of the larger Insect groups, though they are relatively understudied, with little work carried out on Thrips that do not have agricultural significance.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 20 September 2013, Li-Hong Dang of the Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Laurence Mound of CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences and Ge-Xia Qiao, also of the Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, describe four new species of Thrips in the genus Adraneothrips from China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia, as part of a wider study into the Thrips of this genus in Asia and Australasia.

The first new species described is named Adraneothrips darwini, presumably after the Australian city, though no explanation is given for this name. Adraneothrips darwini is a 1740 μm light brown Thrips described from nine female and two male specimens collected from dead twigs and grass at Lichfield in Darwin, Australia.

Adraneothrips darwini. Dang et al. (2013).

The approximate location of the site where Adraneothrips darwini was discovered. Google Maps.

The second new species described is named Adraneothrips hani, in honour of Han Yun-Fa, an expert on Chinese Thrips. Adraneothrips hani is a 2040 μm yellow and brown Thrips described from two female and two male specimens collected from dead leaves on Nanjen Mountain in southern Taiwan.

Adraneothrips hani. Dang et al. (2013).

The approximate location of the site where Adraneothrips hani was first discovered. Google Maps.

The third new species described is named Adraneothrips waui, possibly after the town of Wau in Papua New Guinea, though again no explanation is provided. Adraneothrips waui is a 1150 μm brown Thrips described from seven female and two male specimens collected on branchlets of the Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) alongside the Scolytid Beetle Hylurdrectonus araucariae, a serious pest of the Hoop Pine, as well as on Beetle droppings (frass), at Bulolo in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea (about 32 km northwest of Wau).

Adraneothrips waui. Dang et al. (2013).

The approximate location of the site where Adraneothrips waui was discovered. Google Maps.

The final new species described is named Adraneothrips yunnanensis, meaning 'from Yunnan', presumably in reference to Yunnan Province, China, though again no explanation is given. Adraneothrips yunnanensis is a 1725 μm yellow and brown Thrips described from two female specimens collected from dead branches in Jinghong County in Yunnan Province, China, and two specimens collected from leaf litter in Bogor Botanic Gardens on Java in Indonesia.

Adraneothrips yunnanensis. Dang et al. (2013).

The approximate locations of the two sites where Adraneothrips yunnanensis was found. Google Maps.

See also A new species of Cicada from Meghalaya State in northeast India, A new species of Thrips from Chiapas State, Mexico, Three new species of Ant-mimicking Mirid Bugs from central Thailand, New species of Leafhopper from Laos, southeast Asia and A new species of Leaf Bug from the Mangrove Forests of Singapore and Thailand.

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