Generic diagnosis

Female apterous. Head prolonged anteriorly; maxillary palps 2- or 3-segmented; eyes with few faintly pigmented facets; ocelli absent; ocellar setae I present, setae III short; four pairs of postocular setae. Antennae 6- to 8-segmented, segment I without paired dorso-apical setae, III and IV with sense-cones simple, III–VI with a few microtrichia on both surfaces. Pronotum almost as long as wide, trapezoidal, with all setae minute. Mesonotum either distinct from metanotum or partially fused medially; two pairs of campaniform sensilla present. Metanotum with 10–18 minute setae; campaniform sensilla absent. Prosternal ferna divided or undivided, often indistinctly merged with basantra; basantra membranous with 0–5 pairs of setae; prospinasternum slightly narrow and transverse. Mesosternum with sternopleural sutures reaching anterior margin; endofurca without spinula. Metasternal endofurca without spinula. Tarsi 2-segmented. Tergites without ctenidia and not divided from laterotergites; I–VIII each with broad craspedum, four pairs of setae, median campaniform sensilla near posterior margin; tergite X with median split complete. Sternites with or without craspeda, with discal setae; sternites III–VII with three pairs of posteromarginal setae; VII with S1 setae slightly in front of posterior margin; laterosternites with dentate craspeda.
Male similar to female; tergite IX with paired stout drepanae; sternites III–VII each with oblong pore plate anterior to antecostal ridge.

Biological data

All species in this genus are associated with the leaves of grasses [Poaceae].

Distribution data

This is an Old World genus, but the species found in southern China is commonly found in the Carribean area as well as southeastern USA (Wang et al., 2016).

Nomenclatural data

Caprithrips Faure, 1933: 12. Type species Caprithrips analis Faure, 1933, by monotypy.

Six species are recognised in Caprithrips (ThripsWiki, 2020), of which only one is recorded from China:

insularis Beshear, 1975: 500.

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Thripinae: this is a diverse group involving more than 230 genera. Caprithrips species are similar in appearance to the species of Aptinothrips. However, their shared character states are possibly related to their shared habitat, grass leaves, and the absence of wings. Bhatti (1980) provided a key to distinguish the six species in this genus.

References

Bhatti JS (1980) Revision of the genus Caprithrips with descriptions of two new species from India and Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 28: 161–171.

ThripsWiki (2020) ThripsWiki - providing information on the World's thrips. <http://thrips.info/wiki/Main_Page>

Wang ZH, Zhao C & Tong XL (2016) Two newly recorded genera and a new species of Thripinae from China (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Zoological Systematics 41 (3): 253–260.