Generic diagnosis

Female macropterous. Head reticulate or with numerous small tubercles; three pairs of ocellar setae, pair III large, usually with longitudinal ridges, arising on anterior margins of triangle; frons with 2 pairs of stout setae near bases of antennae; maxillary palps 2-segmented. Pronotum reticulate; posterior margin with 4 pairs of setae, pairs I, III and IV often longitudinally ridged and much larger than pair II. Mesonotum with no anterior campaniform sensilla; median setae arise at posterior margin. Metanotal median setae distant from anterior margin; without campaniform sensilla. Fore wing anteromarginal cilia arising ventrally just behind anterior margin; veinal setae commonly ridged longitudinally; clavus with 2 or 3 veinal and one discal setae. Prosternum without discal setae, prosternal spinasternum slender. Mesosternum with spinula, metasternum with lyre-shaped furca extending into mesothorax. Mid and hind tarsi 1-segmented. Tergite median setal pair long and close together; lateral thirds transversely reticulate-striate with many small tubercles; tergite VIII posterior margin with complete comb of long microtrichia; IX without anterior campaniform sensilla; X without longitudinal split. Sternites III–VII each with 3 pairs of marginal setae, on VII arising in front of margin.
Male similar to female; tergite IX without stout setae; sternites without pore plates.

Biological data

Members of this genus appear to be associated with the leaves of various species in the plant family Moraceae.

Distribution data

Three species in this genus are known only from eastern Australia, with one of these also present on Norfolk Island and New Caledonia. The fourth species was described from Sulawesi, Indonesia, but has subsequently been recorded from Southern China (Zhang et al. 2018).

Nomenclatural data

Ensiferothrips Bianchi, 1945: 266. Type species Ensiferothrips primus Bianchi, 1945, by monotypy.

Four species are known in this genus (ThripsWiki 2020), of which one is recorded from China:

wallacei Mound & Tree, 2016: 578

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Dendrothripinae: Ensiferothrips is one of 12 genera currently recognised in this group (Mound & Tree, 2015). This sub-family comprises 105 species (ThripsWiki, 2020), almost all Old World in origin. All species have the metathoracic furca elongate, extending to the mesothorax. In Ensiferothrips species, the apex of the fore wing bears a prominent seta, the ocellar setae pair III are elongate, as are two (or three) pairs of pronotal postermarginal setae. In females of three of the four known species the major setae are large, flattened with longitudinal ridges, and often dark in colour.

References

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2016) Genera of the leaf-feeding Dendrothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), with new species from Australia and Sulawesi, Indonesia Zootaxa 4109 (5): 569–582.

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

Zhang SM, Wang ZH, Li YJ & Mound LA (2018) One new species, two generic synonyms and eight new records of Thripidae from China (Thysanoptera). Zootaxa 4418 (4): 370–378.