A new species of the genus Karnyothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) from China

Abstract Karnyothrips cyathomorphus sp. n. (Phlaeothripidae: Phlaeothripinae) is described as a new apterous species in the genus Karnyothrips Watson 1923, and it represents the fourth species of the genus to be recorded from China. A key to the Chinese species is given.


Introduction
The genus Karnyothrips, belonging to the Haplothrips lineage in Phlaeothripinae, was established by Watson for the species Karynia weigeli, a synonym of K. flavipes (Jones). Currently 47 species have been described in the genus (ThripsWiki 2013), of which three species are recorded from China (Mirab-balou et al. 2011). K. flavipes is widely distributed in the world, K. melaleucus (Bagnall) is distributed in tropics and subtropics, and K. robustus Okajima has been found only in Japan and Taiwan of China.
The Karnyothrips species usually live on live plant leaves, branches and dead forest litter, where they feed on micro-invertebrates or fungi. Recently, a distinct new species of Karnyothrips has been found while studying the litter thrips fauna in subtropical and tropical China. Specimens were mounted into Canada balsam and deposited in the Insect Collection, Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University (SCAU).
The diagnosis of the genus includes the following features (Watson 1922;Mound and Marullo 1996;Okajima 2006): head longer than broad, rarely produced in front of eyes; antennae eight segmented, segments VII and VIII broadly joined, segment III variable in shape and usually shorter than segment IV; maxillary stylets especially long and extended into base of postocular setae, maxillary bridge present; pronotum anteromarginal setae often reduced; basantra and ferna usually developed; fore wing if developed, constricted medially, duplicated cilia present; anal setae especially long, much longer than tube. Description. Female apterous (Figs 1). Body color brown; head dorsum, pronotum, mesonotum anterior margin, and tube brown, abdominal each tergite anterior margin in middle a little brown the others yellow. Antenna brown, but segment III somewhat paler. All femur brown, tibia and tarsus yellow, fore tibia outer margin a lot darker.

Key to Karnyothrips species in China
Head: dorsum (Figs 3) about 1.4 times as long as broad and little projecting in front of eyes, dorsal surface smooth in the middle and between the eyes, only transverse line sculpture at basal and two sides area; postocular setae distinctly shorter than eye length, apex expanded; cheeks margins subparallel, gradually broader and not constricted behind eyes; eyes round, about 0.3 times as long as head length; ocelli small and posterior far away separated; antennae eight-segmented (Fig. 8) about 1.7 times as long as head length, smooth on surface of each segment; segment III short and constricted at base with a pronounced ring-like swelling; segments III−IV with 2 and 4 sense cones respectively; segment VII elongate and shorter than segment IV, segments VII and VIII broadly joined; maxillary stylets long and extended into base of postocular setae, gradually nearer in the middle, maxillary bridge present.
Abdomen: Pelta (Fig. 5) semicircle-shaped and sculptured anteriorly, smooth medially and posteriorly, without lateral lobes, a pair of campaniform sensilla present; tergites II−VII each with two pairs of developed wing-retaining setae; S 1 setae on tergite IX (Fig. 6) shorter than tube length, apex expanded, S 2 setae longer than tube, apex sharp; tube almost 0.6 times as long as head length, 1.6 times of tube width; anal setae long and about 1.5 times as long as tube length.
Apterous male: Color and structure similar to apterous female. Major setae on head, pronotum and abdomen capitate except that setae S 2 on tergite IX are short and pointed, and S 3 finely acute (Fig. 6). Fore femur well developed and fore tarsal with small tooth (Fig. 7). Abdominal sternites without any glandular area.
Etymology. The specific epithet is a combination of Latin words cyatho and morphus, referring to the shape of antennal segment III.
Distribution. China (Guangdong). Remarks. Karnyothrips cyathomorphus sp. n. resembles K. inflatus Okajima in having a sub-basal ring-like swelling on antennal segment III, but it can be distinguished from the latter by the following features: (1) no wing; (2) antennal segment IV with 4 sense cones, antennal segment VII shorter than segment IV; (3) pelta semicircle-shaped and smooth medially and posteriorly. The new species is also similar in appearance to Priesneria kellyana Bagnall which is apterous and antennal segment III with a sub-basal ring-like swelling, but P. kellyana has only one sensorium on antennal segment III and two sensoria on segment IV, and a glandular area on abdominal sternite IX (Pitkin 1973;Mound and Minaei 2007) which can be used for differentiating this new species.