Generic diagnosis

Female macropterous or micropterous. Head broader than long; maxillary palps 3-segmented; eyes with 6 pigmented facets, ocellar setae pair I present. Antennae usually 9-segmented (rarely 8); segment I without paired dorso-apical setae, sense cone on III and IV usually forked (rarely simple). Pronotum with transverse lines of sculpture, 5–6 pairs of posteromarginal setae with one posteroangular pair usually longer and stouter. Mesonotum with or without anterior campaniform sensilla. Metanotum with median pair of setae inserted far back of anterior margin, either distinctly shorter than outer pair or sometimes longer; campaniform sensilla absent. Fore wing posterior cilia wavy; first vein with 9–12 setae, usually 3 setae on distal half; second vein with almost complete setal row. Prosternal basantra membranous. Mesosternal furcal spinula present, metasternal spinula absent. Mesothoracic sternopleural sutures present. Tarsi 2-segmented. Tergites without ctenidia or craspeda; VIII with or without comb of microtrichia, IX with two pairs of campaniform sensilla, X with or without longitudinal split. Sternites without discal setae or craspeda; III–VII with three pairs of posteromarginal setae, II with two pairs.
Male tergite IX often with paired drepanae; sternal pore plates present or absent.

Biological data

The species of Eremiothrips seem to be associated with various plants of different families living in semi-desert regions.

Distribution data

This Palearctic genus is found widely between the eastern Mediterranean (Minaei, 2012; Ben-David, 2017) and northern China (Zhang & Feng, 2017).

Nomenclatural data

Eremiothrips Priesner, 1950: 44. Type species Eremiothrips imitator Priesner, 1950, by monotypy.

Currently there are 21 species listed in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2020), of which three are recorded from China:

antilope (Priesner, 1923: 63). (Anaphothrips)
arya (zur Strassen, 1975: 260). (Ascirtothrips)
hanshanensis Zhang & Feng, 2017: 397.

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Thripinae: this is a diverse group involving more than 230 genera. Eremiothrips is one of 40 genera in the Anaphothrips genus-group (Mausmoto & Okajima, 2017). The species in this group usually share the absence of any long setae on the pronotum, but this is not neccessarily a reliable synapomorphy indicating relationships.

References

Ben-David T (2017) Eremiothrips negevi, a new species of thrips from Israel (Insecta: Thysanoptera: Terebrantia: Thripidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 47: 133–140.

Bhatti JS (1988) On the genera Ascirtothrips Priesner and Eremiothrips Priesner (Insecta: Terebrantia: Thripidae). Zoology (Journal of Pure and Applied Zoology) 1: 117–125.

Bhatti JS. Telmadarraiy Z. Kumar V & Tyagi K (2003) Species of Eremiothrips in Iran (Terebrantia: Thripidae). Thrips 2: 49–110.

Masumoto M & Okajima S (2017) Anaphothrips genus-group: key to world genera, with two new species and three new records from Japan (Thysanoptera, Thripidae). Zootaxa 4272 (2): 201–220.

Minaei K (2012) The genus Eremiothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Iran, with one new species. Zootaxa 3349: 56–62.

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

Zhang SM & Feng JN (2017) The genus Eremiothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from China, with one new species. Zootaxa 4250 (4): 396–400.