Generic diagnosis

Female macropterous. Head small, wider across eyes than length; maxillary palps short, 3-segmented; eyes with five weakly pigmented facets; ocellar setae I present, pair III small anterior to posterior ocelli; three pairs of postocular setae. Antennae 8-segmented; segment I without paired dorso-apical setae, III and IV with short forked sense-cones; III–VI with microtrichia on both surfaces. Pronotum longer than wide, surface weakly transversely striate, without long setae, with seven pairs of posteromarginal setae of which pair VII slightly stouter. Mesonotum with median setae in front of margin; anteromedian campaniform sensilla present. Metanotum irregularly reticulate; median pair of setae far from anterior margin; campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing first vein with long gap in setal row, three setae on distal half; second vein with about three widely spaced setae; clavus with five veinal and one discal setae; posteromarginal fringe cilia wavy. Prosternal ferna weakly divided; basantra membranous, with 2 or 3 pairs of setae; prospinasternum broad and transverse. Mesosternum with sternopleural sutures complete; meso and metasternal endofurca without spinula. Tarsi 2-segmented. Tergites without ctenidia, III–VIII each with broad craspedum; surface transversely reticulate/striate; IX with anterior pair of campaniform sensilla, MD setae present; X with complete split. Sternites II–VI with broad, lobed craspeda; II with two pairs of marginal setae, III–VII with three pairs, on VII S1 and S2 close together medially on margin.
Male similar to female, sternites without pore plates.

Biological data

Presumably breeding on the leaves of grasses.

Distribution data

Of the three species listed in this genus, one is known only from Australia, and one only from India, but the type species from Egypt is also recorded from India and from three Provinces of southern China (Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan).

Nomenclatural data

Parexothrips Priesner, 1965: 285. Type species Exothrips tenellus Priesner 1950, by monotypy.

This genus includes three species (ThripsWiki, 2020), of which one is recorded from China:

tenellus (Priesner, 1950: 30). (Exothrips)

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Thripinae: this is a diverse group involving more than 230 genera. Judging from the chaetotaxy of sternite VII in females, this genus is related only to Exothrips and Rhamphothrips amongst the Thripinae (Bhatti, 1975). It is distinguished because of the presence of several setae on the prosternum (Mound, 2011).

References

Bhatti JS (1975) A revision of Exothrips Priesner and two related genera. Oriental Insects 9: 43–90.

Mirab-balou M, Yang SL, Gao JQ & Tong XL (2014) A newly recorded genus of the Rhamphothrips genus-group (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from China. Zoological Systematics 39 (4): 583–587.

Mound LA (2011) Grass-dependent Thysanoptera of the family Thripidae from Australia. Zootaxa 3064: 1–40.

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