Genus Scolothrips Hind

Scolothrips Hinds, 1902: 157 . Type species: Thrips sexmaculata Pergande, 1890, by original designation and monotypy.

Female. Body small and fragile. Wings present. Major body setae with surfaces rough. Head (Fig. 1 A) wider than long, humped at ocellar triangle, cheeks rounded; mouth-cone not elongate and more or less pointed at apex, with 3-segmented maxillary palpi. Compound eyes very large and bulging, with four large strongly pigmented (and often several normal sized weakly pigmented) ommatidia ventrally. Ocellar setae I and II (=anteocellar setae) present, rarely absent, usually elongate nearly half length of setae III (=interocellar setae), setae III almost as long as head length. Postocular setae four pairs, rarely absent. Antennae (Fig. 1 B) 8- segmented, segment I without median dorsal apical setae, II with dorsal inner setae much longer than outer one, III and IV with sensoria forked, microtrichial rows present or absent.

Pronotum (Fig. 1 A) wider than long; usually six pairs of very long setae (anteromarginals, anteroangulars, posteromarginals and MLs each 1 pair, posteroangulars 2 pairs) present, but rarely MLs small. Mesonotum (Fig. 5 B) with median pair of setae situated far from posterior margin. Metascutum (Fig. 1 C) with median pair of setae situated at or near anterior margin; CPS absent. Prosternal ferna (Fig. 1 D) divided at middle; basantra membranous, often with one or two setae; prospinasternum (Fig. 1 D) weak, narrow and curved directed posteriorly at middle or median triangle plate. Mesosternum without or with indistinct sternopleural sutures; endofurca with spinula. Metasternal endofurca with spinula. Fore wing (Fig. 2 A) with two dark bands and with much elongate veinal setae, costal setae longer than anteromarginal fringe hairs; first vein without long gap in setal row, interval irregularly spaced, first vein slightly curved backward near the veinal fork (Fig. 6 B); second vein with 4 or 5 (rarely 6−8) setae evenly spaced; clavus usually with 3 (rarely 4) veinal and one discal setae; posteromarginal fringe cilia undulated. Tarsi 2-segmented.

Abdominal tergites (Figs. 4 B-C) without ctenidia and posteromarginal craspeda, indistinctly divided from laterotergites, tergal discal setae small; tergite VIII without posteromarginal comb; tergite X (Fig. 4 C) without longitudinal median split; sternites without posteromarginal craspeda and discal setae; sternites III −VII with three pairs of posteromarginal setae, but II with two pairs; sternite VII with S1 setae in front of posterior margin. Ovipositor developed.

Male. General body structure as in female but sometime micropterous. Abdominal tergite X without longitudinal median split; sternites (Fig. 2 F) III −VIII each with a large transverse pore plate constricted at middle.

Comments. Within the genus Scolothrips, Mound (2011) recognized two species groups each of three nominal species that cannot be distinguished satisfactorily from each other. The Old World longicornis group includes dilongicornis Han & Zhang and takahasii Priesner, and the North American sexmaculatus group includes hoodi Priesner and pallidus Beach.