Generic diagnosis

Small apterous Phlaeothripinae with very short anal setae. Head with compound eyes having less than 15 facets; postocular setae not developed; stylets wide apart; maxillary palps relatively small. Antennae 6-segmented, VI–VIII fused without sutures; II asymmetric; III with 1 small sense cone, IV with 2. Pronotum transverse with no long setae; notopleural sutures not developed. Prosternal basantra small and lateral; mesoprestemum degenerate; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Metathorax swollen laterally; hind coxae slightly further apart than mid coxae. Fore tarsal tooth absent in both sexes. Pelta fully transverse but partially divided into three lobes; tergites III–IX with one pair of setae laterally, remaining setae minute; segment IX scarcely longer than VIII; tube shorter than head, anal setae scarcely 0.3 as long as tube. Male sternite VIII with no pore plate.

Nomenclatural data

Adurothrips Mound, 1994: 22. Type species Adurothrips atopus Mound, 1994, by monotypy.

This genus comprises a single, wingless species.

Australian species
Adurothrips atopus Mound, 1994: 24

Relationship data

Despite the short tube, and very short anal setae, the other character states including the transverse first abdominal tergite, suggest that this genus is related to the urothripine genera, such as Baenothrips.

Distribution data

The genus is known only from eastern Australia, between Brisbane and Kangaroo Island.

Biological data

This minute species has been found breeding in leaf-litter, where it presumably feeds on fungal hyphae.

References

Mound LA (1995) Homoplasy and the systematics of phlaeothripine Thysanoptera, with a new short-tubed Australian Urothripine. Courier Forschunginstitut Senckenberg 178: 21–25.