Generic diagnosis

Head strongly transverse, with weak transverse ridge, genae convex and constricted to base; maxillary palps 2-segmented; antennae with 8 distinct segments, III and IV each with forked sense cone. Pronotum posterior third with transverse band of raised sculptured reticles. Mesonotum not notched at anterior; metanotum with very weakly defined median triangular area of reticles. Tarsi 1-segmented. Fore wings mainly shaded with apex pale. Abdominal tergite II anterolaterally with paired areas of recurved microtrichia; II–VIII with posteromarginal craspedum, on VIII with variable number of small marginal microtrichia; tergite X long and slightly asymmetric. Sternites with craspedum, antecostal ridge on IV–VII sharply curved medially.
Male not known.

Biological data

Associated with grasses [Poaceae]

Distribution data

Described from Thailand, but recorded from southern India and from southern China (Hainan).

Nomenclatural data

Opimothrips Nonaka & Okajima, 1992: 106. Type species Opimothrips tubulatus Nonaka & Okajima, 1992, by monotypy.

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

tubulatus Nonaka & Okajima, 1992: 106.

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Panchaetothripinae: this group is represented widely around the world, particularly in tropical areas, and comprises about 40 genera. Opimothrips shares with the members of the Astrothrips group the presence of a pair of areas of stout, recurved microtrichia anterolaterally on the second abdominal tergite (Xie et al., 2019). It is unusual within this group in having the fore wing largely dark with the extreme apex pale.

References

Nonaka T & Okajima S (1992) Two new genera and species of the subfamily Panchaetothripinae (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from Southeast Asia. Bulletin of the Biogeographical Society of Japan 47: 103–108.

Rachana, RR, Mound, LA & Rayar SG (2019) Tryphactothripini of India (Thysanoptera, Thripidae, Panchaetothripinae), with identification keys and a new record of Opimothrips. ZooKeys 884: 43–52.

Xie YL, Li YJ, Li ZY & Zhang HR (2019) Two genera of Panchaetothripinae newly recorded from China, with first description of males of Opimothrips tubulatus (Thysanoptera, Thripidae). Zootaxa 4567 (3): 583–586.