Generic diagnosis

Female macropterous. Dark brown, strongly reticulate. Head reticulate, sculpture not raised; cheeks parallel, constricted behind eyes and at basal neck; maxillary palps 2-segmented; compound eyes with 6 weakly pigmented facets; occipital region without apodeme or collar; ocellar setae pair I present, pair III on anterolateral margins of ocellar triangle. Antennae 8-segmented, III and IV with long apical neck, III with sense cone long and forked, IV with one forked and one simple sense cone; VI constricted at base, VIII longer than VII. Pronotum reticulate, setae small. Mesonotum with short posteromedian cleft. Metascutum reticulate without strong triangle, median pair of setae far from anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing with apex acute and posterior fringe cilia wavy, first vein with setal row widely interrupted, second vein with scattered setae. Mesosternal endofurca without spinula; metathoracic endofurca with short Y-shaped arms. Femora and tibiae reticulate, tarsi 1-segmented. Tergites reticulate, median setae small, with craspedum; II not constricted and without strong microtrichia; III–VIII with arched antecostal ridge, median setae small, well separated, sub-median setae slightly curved or sigmoid; VIII with posteromarginal comb present laterally; X symmetric, median split complete; tergite IX setae longer than X. Sternites with broad craspedum, setae small.
Male similar to female; tergite IX with paired thorn-like setae; sternites IV–VII with transverse pore plate anterior to antecostal ridge.

Biological data

Apparently asssociated with the leaves of Eleutherococcus nodiflorus [Araliaceae].

Distribution data

The single species in this genus is known only from Yunnan, in southern China.

Nomenclatural data

Araliacothrips Li, Li & Zhang, 2018: XX. Type species Araliacothrips daweishanensis, by monotypy.

Only one species is placed in the genus (ThripsWiki, 2020), and this is recorded from southern China:

daweishanensis Li, Li & Zhang, 2018: 236.

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Panchaetothripinae: this group is represented widely around the world, particularly in tropical areas, and comprises about 40 genera. The slender body form of the single species in this genus is similar to that of Phibalothrips species, but the fore wing setae are well developed. The lack of a transverse ridge on the head, and the weakly Y-shaped metasternal furca are distinctive for this genus.

References

Li YJ, Li ZY & Zhang HR (2018) A new Panchaetothripinae genus and species, also a newly recorded genus, from Southwestern China (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Zootaxa 4394 (2): 235–242.

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