Generic diagnosis

Female macropterous. Head long with large eyes; maxillary palps 3-segmented; eyes with few weakly pigmented facets; ocellar setae pair I absent, III long and arising within the triangle on the tangent between the anterior margins of the posterior ocelli; 5 pairs of postocular setae, pair III unusually long. Antennae 8-segmented, segment I with paired dorso-apical setae; III and IV with forked sense cone; III–VI with microtrichial rows on both surfaces. Pronotum without sculpture, narrowed at anterior angles; posterior margin with one pair of setae, 2 pairs of posteroangular setae. Mesonotum with anterior campaniform sensilla; median setae arise in front of margin. Metanotum reticulate, median setae distant from anterior margin and often asymmetric in position; campaniform sensilla absent. Fore wing first vein setal row discontinuous, second vein with several widely-spaced setae; clavus with 5 veinal and one discal setae. Prosternum without discal setae, ferna slender and divided, prosternal spinasternum broad. Mesosternum with spinula, metasternum without spinula. Mid and hind tarsi 2-segmented. Tergites II–VIII often with transverse reticulation medially, sometimes transversely striate laterally, without craspeda or ctenidia; median pair of setae in II–VIII almost as long as tergite, close together and arising near antecostal ridge; VIII without posteromarginal comb, IX with anterior campaniform sensilla; X without longitudinal split. Sternites without discal setae; II with 2 pairs of marginal setae, III–VII with 3 pairs all arising at margin.
Male tergite IX without stout discal setae; sternites III–VI or VII with large pore plate.

Biological data

Species in this genus are associated particularly with plants of the genus Galium [Rubiaceae], but one species in southern Europe is found on grape vines, Vitis vinifera [Vitaceae].

Distribution data

Seven species of Rubiothrips are known from Europe, two others only from Iran, and a tenth species from Japan. However, a few damaged specimens of an unidentified species have been studied from Ningxia Province, China.

Nomenclatural data

Rubiothrips Schliephake, 1975: 11. Type species Anaphothrips ferruginea Uzel 1895, by original designation.

Ten species are listed in this genus (ThripsWiki 2020), all from the Palaearctic; a single unidentified species has been seen from China.

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Thripinae: this is a diverse group involving more than 230 genera. This is a member of an assemblage of 40 genera in which the species lack long setae on the pronotum (Masumoto & Okajima, 2017), but Rubiothrips is unusual within this group in having the median setae on the tergites long and close together.

References

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

zur Strassen R (2003) Die terebranten Thysanopteren Europas und des Mittelmeer-Gebietes. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 74: 1–271.