THRIPS INJURIOUS TO RICE IN INDIA. 355 



Prothorax (fig. 1, a) about one-fifth longer and wider than the head. Two long 

 spines at each hind angle ; three short ones on each side of the hind margin, the inner- 

 most longer than the others ; the anterior marginal spines not noticeably longer than 

 the small spines which are scattered over the pronotum. Pterothorax normal, the 

 meso-scutum twice as long as the scutellum. Legs normal, fore tarsi unarmed ; as 

 dark as the body, except the tarsi and fore tibiae, which are very slightly paler. 

 Wings fully developed, pointed at the tip, fore w^ing (fig. 1, c) about 14 times as long 

 as wide at the middle. Veins in the fore wing very indistinct. On the costa 21-24 

 spines ; on the fore vein 5-7 near the base and 3 in the outer portion, the proximal 

 one somewhat widely separated from the other two ; on the hind vein 11-13 ; the 

 spines are long and pointed, particularly on the outer half of the costa. The costal 

 fringe commences about one-third the wing length from the base. The posterior 

 fringe at its greatest length is about six times the breadth of the wing. Colour 

 uniformly dark brown, except for an elongate paler fleck near the base ; all spines 

 on the wing dark. Hind wings also brown in colour, but paler than the fore pair ; 

 the longitudinal vein very distinct and reaching almost to the tip of the wing. 



Abdomen slender ; the ninth segment long, 1 '6 times as long as the tenth (fig. l,d) ', 

 terminal spines slender. A row of short pointed teeth on the hind margin of the eighth 

 tergite, usually incomplete mid-dorsally. 



Numerous females (no males) taken " on very young paddy {Oryza saliva)^ 

 Madurantakam, S. India, 2nd-7th May 1915, by T. V. Ramakrishna Ayyar." 



Type in the British Museum. 



The chief characteristics by which this species may be recognised are the slender 

 head and prothorax, the long mouth-cone, the dark wings and the long ninth 

 abdominal segment. It may even be necessary at some future time to separate it 

 from the bulk of the genus Thrips, more particularly if forms resembling it are found 

 when the Indian fauna is better known, but for the present it comes nearest to this 

 group and is best left with them. 



The material sent included a number of short pieces of young rice stems imbedded 

 in which were a number of eggs of this thrips ; they are of the usual kidney shape 

 and are 0*25 mm. long and 0"10 mm. broad. 



Numerous larvae were also present, pale yellowish white in colour, with slightly 

 darker legs, head and antennae. Pupae and prepupae differed in having the legs and 

 antennae paler than the body and in having four long pointed processes from the hind 

 margin of the ninth tergite. The prepupae have, as is usual in the group, the antennae 

 free and short wing cases reaching about one-third the length of the abdomen ; the 

 pupa has the antennae applied to the dorsal surface of the head and the wings reaching 

 over two-thirds the length of the abdomen. 



The only other thrips so far recorded as damaging rice are two species of a different 

 suborder (Tubulifera) from Japan, described by M. Matsamura (Annot. Zool. Japan, 

 iii, 1899, pp. 1-4). They are Haplothrips (nee Phloeothrips) oryzae and H.japonica. 

 They may be easily separated from the present species by the abdomen ending in a 

 tubular tenth segment without any ovipositor. 



