Neoheliothrips gen.n.

Diagnosis. Head, body and legs reticulate. Antennae 8-segmented, without microtrichia, III with pronounced basal flange, III and IV each with one simple sense cone, VIII much longer than VII. Head slightly longer than wide, compound eyes with 6 pigmented facets, maxillary palps 2-segmented. Pronotum with median transverse band of large irregular reticles. Mesoscutum with short posteromedian cleft; metascutum with prominent reticulate triangle.

Tarsi 1-segmented. Fore wing apex rounded, first longitudinal vein distinct from costal vein (Fig. 12), both bearing minute setae, costa with no fringe cilia, posteromarginal cilia almost straight. Abdominal tergite I with paired minute median setae arising on reticulate area; tergites II–VII median setae small, distance between their bases more than twice their length; VII with no marginal comb, VIII with posteromarginal comb weak or absent medially; IX and X with no microtrichia, X with longitudinal split.

Type species: Heliothrips sylvanus Faure.

Comments. Although generally similar in appearance, this new genus differs from Heliothrips in having the fore wing first vein distinct from, and parallel to, the costal vein (Fig. 12), there are no cilia on the costal vein, tergites II–VI median setae are small and much shorter than the distance between their bases (Fig. 11), tergite IX does not have a small band of microtrichia near the posterior margin, and antennal segment III has a pronounced basal flange (Fig. 7). The genus is erected for a single polyphagous species from South Africa. These character states suggest that Neoheliothrips is not sister-group to Heliothrips . However, data provided by Mound et al. (2001) indicate that it is sister-group to four genera that include Heliothrips and Australothrips . Molecular data is required to further examine these relationships, but the data provided by Buckman et al. (2013) indicate that within the Panchaetothripinae Australothrips is also well separate from Heliothrips .