Karnyothrips pitkini, Okajima & Masumoto, 2025

Karnyothrips pitkini sp. n.

( Figs 30 View FIGURES 21–30 , 170–175 View FIGURES 170–175 )

Female (macroptera). Distended body length: 2.4mm. Bicolored species ( Fig. 30 View FIGURES 21–30 ). Head, thorax and tube brown, prothorax and pterothorax darkened medially, tube paler at base; abdominal segment I yellow, segments II–VII yellow, each with large brown marking at middle, segments VIII–IX pale brown, yellowish anterolaterally. Fore femora brown, paler than head, yellowish at apical one-third, mid and hind femora pale brown, yellow at apical half; tibiae and tarsi yellow. Antennal segments I and V–VIII brown, segments II and III yellowish, segment II very weakly shaded with brown, segment III weakly shaded with brown at apical half; segment IV pale brown, yellowish at basal one-third. Fore wings scarcely shaded with brown medially; major body setae pale. Head 1.38 times as long as wide ( Fig. 170 View FIGURES 170–175 ), dorsal surface almost smooth, but with a few transverse striae between postocular setae. Cheeks almost straight, very weakly rounded, weakly serrate. Postocular setae almost as long as eyes, or a little shorter, expanded at apex, 147µm apart from each other, 24–25µm apart from eyes. Eyes about 0.3 times as long as head. Ocelli relatively well developed; posterior pair in contact with eyes, 36µm apart from each other. Antennae about 1.75 times as long as head; segment VIII relatively slender ( Fig. 174 View FIGURES 170–175 ), scarcely constricted at base, narrowly fused to segment VII, 0.78 times as long as VII; segment VII much shorter than III; segment IV the longest ( Fig. 175 View FIGURES 170–175 ); segments III and IV with three (1+2) and four (2+2 +1) sense cones respectively. Condition of maxillary stylets uncertain, because they are bringing out from the head, but close together medially, may be about one-fourth of head width apart; maxillary bridge weak, about one-fourth of head width. Pronotum 0.8 times as long as head, 133 times as wide as long, almost smooth; four pairs of prominent setae expanded; aa shorter than pa, pa and epim subequal in length, longer than postoculars. Notopleural sutures complete. Basantra wider than long, inner margin strongly sclerotized; mesopresternum not divided, anterior margin shaped an arc, very narrow at middle; prospinasternum very small, less than 20µm wide ( Fig. 171 View FIGURES 170–175 ). Metanotum weakly sculptured medially with longitudinal striae or reticulation ( Fig. 172 View FIGURES 170–175 ); median pair of setae weak, short and acute, more than 20µm in length, 53µm apart from each other, 63–68µm apart from anterior margin. Fore wing with 6 duplicated cilia; three sub-basal setae expanded, S2 longer than S1, S3 the longest. Pelta trapezoid ( Fig. 173 View FIGURES 170–175 ), almost as long as wide, sculptured weakly. Tergite IX S1 setae blunt, almost pointed, longer than tube, S2 setae sharply pointed, longer than S1. Tube about 0.63 times as long as head, 2.11 times as long as wide. Terminal setae about 1.5 times as long as tube, or a little shorter.

Measurements (holotype female in µm). Body length 2370 (distended). Head length 240, from anterior margin of eyes 224, width across eyes 168, maximum width across cheeks 174, minimum width across base 150; eyes length 75; diameter of posterior ocelli 18–20; postocular setae 68–75. Maxillary bridge width 45. Antenna total length 420, segments III–VIII length (width) as follows: 57 (36), 62 (37),47 (28), 45 (25), 47 (23), 37 (12). Pronotum length 192, width 256. Setae on prothorax: aa 60–65, ml 75, pa 80–83, epim 80–84. Fore wing length 860. Sub-basal wing setae: S1 50 –51, S2 62–65, S3 70. Pelta length 98, width 95. Tergite IX setae: S1 165–167, S2 180. Tube length 152, maximum width 72; terminal setae?220.

Male. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype: macropterous female, Borneo, Sabah, JL. Kimanis, 15km from Kimanis , on dead leaves and branches, 9.ix.1990, TN & SO.

Comments. This bicolored species is described based on a unique holotype macropterous female, but it is easily distinguished from the congeners by the combination of the following features: antennal segments III and IV with three (1+2) and four (2+2 +1) sense cones respectively; postocular setae almost as long as eyes; prospinasternum small; mesopresternum undivided, but very narrow at middle; pelta almost as long as wide; tergite IX S1 setae blunt, almost pointed; tube longer than 0.6 times as long as head; terminal tube setae about 1.5 times as long as tube. This species was collected from dead leafy branches. It is somewhat intermediate between Karnyothrips and Mesandrothrips (in part), but has the prosternal basantra and ferna widely separated.

The specific name is dedicated to the late Brian R. Pitkin, and this study could not be accomplished without his work on this group of insects.