Print Fact SheetPaithrips

Generic diagnosis

Female macropterous. Head length less than width across eyes; maxillary palps short, 3-segmented; eyes without pigmented facets; ocellar setae I absent, pair III arising behind posterior tangent to posterior ocelli; five pairs of postocular setae. Antennae 8-segmented; segment I with paired dorso-apical setae, III and IV with forked sense-cones; III–VI with microtrichia on both surfaces. Pronotum with two pairs of posteroangular setae; three pairs of posteromarginal setae; with closely spaced transverse sculpture lines and some small circles on posterior third. Mesonotum with median pair of setae near posterior margin; anteromedian campaniform sensilla absent. Metanotum reticulations forming concentric circles; median pair of setae far from anterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent. Fore wing first vein with long gap in setal row and two setae near apex; second vein with complete row of setae; clavus with four veinal and one discal setae; posteromarginal fringe cilia wavy. Prosternal ferna divided; basantra membranous, without setae; prospinasternum broad and transverse. Mesosternum with sternopleural suture complete; endofurca with spinula. Metasternal endofurca without spinula. Tarsi 2-segmented. Tergites without ctenidia or craspeda; IX without anterior pair of campaniform sensilla, MD setae present; X without median split. Sternites without discal setae, II–VII with three pairs of marginal setae all arising at margin.
Male tergite IX with paired drepanae; sternites III–VII with small scattered pore plates.

Biological data

Apparently breeding on the leaves of unidentified bamboo species [Poaceae].

Distribution data

Of the two species in this genus, one is known only from Vietnam, but the other has been found in southern China as well as Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.  

Nomenclatural data

Paithrips Nonaka & Jangvitaya, 1994: 46. Type species Paithrips circularis Nonaka & Jangvitaya, 1994, by monotypy.

Two species have been described in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2020), and one of these is recorded from China:

circularis Nonaka & Jangvitaya, 1994: 47.

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Thripinae: this is a diverse group involving more than 230 genera. Paithrips is one of a group of six southeast Asian genera in which the species are associated with bamboo, although the only other one recorded from China is Yoshinothrips. The pronotum of Paithrips has transverse striations similar to those of species in the Scirtothrips group, but these are clearly not related because of the lack on the head in Paithrips of ocellar setae pair I, and the presence of paired dorso-apical setae on the first antennal segment.

References

Nonaka T & Yangvitaya P (1994) Bamboo-inhabiting thrips of the family Thripidae (Thysanoptera) from Southeast Asia, II. Japanaese Journal of Entomology 62: 41–53.

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.