Generic diagnosis

Small sized macropterous Phlaeothripinae with dorsal surface strongly sculptured. Head slightly longer than wide; postocular setae short and expanded, arising behind inner margin of eyes; maxillary stylets retracted to eyes, close together medially; mouth cone pointed. Antennae 8-segmented, segments VII–VIII closely joined; III with 2 or 3 sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones usually. Pronotum sculptured with fine lines or rows of small tubercles; notopleural sutures complete. Prosternal basantra absent or present; mesopresternum transverse but slender; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Fore tarsal tooth present or absent. Fore wings weakly constricted medially, with duplicated cilia. Pelta hat-shaped in macropterae; tergites II–VII with two pairs of wing-retaining setae, tergite VIII often with an additional pair of short and simply curved wing-retaining setae; tergites III–VIII with dentate or ciliate microtrichia along sculptured striae; S1 setae on tergite IX expanded at apex; tube shorter than head; anal setae usually longer than tube. Male sternite VIII with large pore plate.

Nomenclatural data

Azaleothrips Ananthakrishnan, 1964: 220. Type species Azaleothrips amabilis Ananthakrishnan 1964, by monotypy.

There are 38 species listed in this genus, mostly from Asia but with four species from Australia (ThripsWiki, 2022).

Australian species
Azaleothrips lepidus Okajima, 1978: 386
Azaleothrips lixinae Mound & Tree, 2015: 327
Azaleothrips moundi Okajima, 1976: 19
Azaleothrips perniger (Girault, 1929: 2)

Relationship data

This genus is considered a member of the Idiothrips-group of genera in the Phlaeothripinae (Mound & Tree 2015).

Distribution data

Species of Azaleothrips have been found widely across Asia, from India to Japan. One Asian species has been found near Darwin, two species are known from Queensland and one from South Australia.

Biological data

The members of this genus are found on dead branches, where they presumably feed on fungal hyphae.

References

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2015) Fungus-feeding Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae of the Idiothrips genus-group in Australia, with nine new species. Zootaxa 4034 (2): 325–341.

Okajima S & Masumoto M (2014) Species-richness in the Oriental fungus-feeding thrips of the genus Azaleothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae). Zootaxa 3846 (3): 301–347.

ThripsWiki (2022) ThripsWiki - providing information on the World's thrips. Available from: http://thrips.info/wiki/ (Accessed 15.iii.2022)