Solomonthrips Mound

Mound, Laurence A., Dang, Li-Hong & Tree, Desley J., 2013, Genera of fungivorous Phlaeothripinae (Thysanoptera) from dead branches and leaf-litter in Australia, Zootaxa 3681 (3), pp. 201-224 : 217

Solomonthrips Mound

Of the eight species in this genus, five were described from leaf-litter in the Solomon Islands, one from Borneo, and two from northern Queensland, S. australiensis and S. brooksi . The presence of wing-retaining setae on the eighth abdominal tergite is unique to the members of this genus ( Fig. 33 ).

Diagnosis. Body usually reticulate in part; head about as long as wide, cheeks slightly incut behind eyes; posterocular setae capitate, wide apart; mouth-cone short and rounded, stylets wide apart, retracted half-way into head; antennae 8-segmented, VIII scarcely narrowed basally, III and IV each with 2 sensoria; pronotum with 3 or 4 capitate setae, anteroangulars absent; notopleural sutures complete; basantra absent; mesopresternum reduced; no sternopleural sutures; fore tarsal tooth present in both sexes; usually micropterous; pelta hat-shaped; tergites II–VII with 1 or 2 pairs of wing retaining setae, VIII with 2 pairs of small wing retaining setae; tube shorter than head, anal setae much shorter than tube; male sternite VIII without pore plate.

Figures

FIGURES 32 – 38. Phlaeothripinae genera. (32) Octurothrips pulcher, tergites IX – X; (33) Solomonthrips australiensis, tergites VII – IX; (34) Psalidothrips taylori, thoracic sternites—arrows indicate sterno-pleural sutures; (35) Psalidothrips sp., male; (36) Sophiothrips sp.; (37) Senithrips psomus, macroptera thoracic sternites; (38) Pygmaeothrips angusticeps, female microptera.