Stictothrips Hood

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2015, Fungus-feeding Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae of the Idiothrips genus-group in Australia, with nine new species, Zootaxa 4034 (2), pp. 325-341 : 329

Stictothrips Hood

Stictothrips Hood, 1925: 295 . Type species Phloeothrips maculatus Hood , by monotypy.

Four species are listed in this genus (ThripsWiki 2015); the type species from Northeastern USA; faurei from South Africa and also Iran; leopardinus from northern Egypt; and fimbriata from southern India. To these are added here two new species from Australia, with an expanded generic diagnosis based on that of Mound and Marullo (1996). However, one of these new species, although sharing many character states differs in several others, and it is not strictly congeneric. The species is described here in this genus to draw attention to the structural diversity, but when the male and macropterous female are discovered a further new genus may be required.

Generic diagnosis: Body bicoloured, surface with complex reticulate sculpture. Antennae 8-segmented, III with 1 sense cone, IV with 2 major sense cones, VIII lanceolate. Head about as long as wide, eyes much longer on dorsal than ventral surface, postocular setae not developed; mouth cone short. Pronotum transverse, with 5 pairs of short, broadly capitate major setae; notopleural sutures incomplete. Metanotum with about 6 pairs of minor setae in two longitudinal rows. Fore tarsus usually with small tooth. Fore wing sub-medially sharply constricted or twisted, without duplicated cilia; sub-basal setae short and capitate. Prosternal basantra weak, ferna transverse; mesopresternum transverse but eroded posteromedially opposite to an eroded area on the anterior margin of the mesoeusternum. Pelta with lateral thirds unsculptured, paired campaniform sensilla present; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae, posteromarginal setal pair with asymmetric broadly capitate apex, arising close to second wing-retaining seta; VII–VIII with irregular group of discal setae; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 capitate, shorter than basal width of tube in both sexes; tube shorter than head length, anal setae shorter than tube; male with large poorly defined pore plate area on sternites VII and VIII.