Generic diagnosis

Medium-sized, usually micropterous Idolothripinae. Head slightly wider than long varying to longer than wide, sometimes projecting in front of eyes; compound eyes often smaller ventrally than dorsally; maxillary stylets stout, 0.3 to 0.5 of head width apart, retracted almost to postocular setae; maxillary palp segment I usually 2 to 3 times as long as wide, often longer than segment II. Antennae 8-segmented, segment III with 2 sense cones, IV with 4; segment VIII not constricted at base. Pronotum transverse, notopleural sutures complete; with 5 pairs of major setae. Prosternal basantra sometimes small; mesopresternum transverse almost boat-shaped; metathoracic sternopleural sutures long and curved. Female with fore femora not enlarged and fore tarsal tooth absent; male often with fore femora swollen, fore tarsal tooth present. Pelta extending widely across tergite II anterior margin; tergites often with transverse row of discal setae, with one pair of wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae long. Tube shorter than head. Male with tergite IX setae similar to those of female; sternal pores plates not present.

Nomenclatural data

Bolothrips (Carientothrips) Moulton, 1944: 306. Type species Bolothrips (Carientothrips) fijiensis Moulton, by monotypy.

The 23 species listed in this genus are mainly from Australia and the Pacific Islands (ThripsWiki, 2022).

Australian species
Carientothrips acti Mound, 1974: 25.
Carientothrips alienatus Eow et al., 2014: 196
Carientothrips calami Eow et al., 2014: 199
Carientothrips casuarinae Mound, 1974
Carientothrips flavitibia (Moulton, 1968)
Carientothrips horni Eow et al., 2014
Carientothrips loisthus Mound, 1974
Carientothrips magnetis Mound, 1974
Carientothrips miskoi Mound, 1974
Carientothrips mjobergi (Karny, 1920)
Carientothrips palumai Eow et al., 2014
Carientothrips pedicillus Mound, 1974
Carientothrips pictilis Mound, 1974
Carientothrips reedi Mound, 1974
Carentothrips semirufus (Girault, 1928)
Carientothrips snowi Eow et al., 2014
Carientothrips tasmanica Eow et al., 2014
Carientothrips vesper Mound, 1974

Relationship data

This genus is placed in the Idolothripinae, Pygothripini, Diceratothripina (Mound & Palmer 1983). It is usually considered to be related to Nesothrips, but is distinguished by the unusually elongate condition of the basal segment of the maxillary palps (Eow et al., 2014).

Distribution data

The 18 species of this genus known from Australia have been found widely across the continent. Of the remaining 5 species listed in the genus, one is from Japan, one from the Falkland Islands, and three from different Pacific Islands.

Biological data

Adults and larvae of some species in this genus have been studied with fungal spores in the gut. The species live on dead twigs and dead leaves. Some are associated particularly with Eucalyptus species, but others live at the base of tussocks of grasses and Dianella or on dead palm fronds.

References

Eow LX, Mound LA, Tree DJ & Cameron SL (2014) Australian species of spore-feeding Thysanoptera in the genera Carientothrips and Nesothrips (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae). Zootaxa 3821 (2): 193–221.

Mound LA (1974) Spore-feeding Thrips (Phlaeothripidae) from Leaf Litter and Dead Wood in Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 27: 1–106.

Mound LA & Palmer JM (1983) The generic and tribal classification of spore-feeding Thysanoptera (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 46: 1–174

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