Generic diagnosis

Medium sized, usually macropterous, sexually dimorphic Phlaeothripinae. Head length variable, vertex usually reticulate; postocular setae well developed; genae with a few setae; mouth cone often long and pointed; maxillary stylets deeply retracted, close together medially, no maxillary bridge. Antennae 8-segmented; segment III with 2‒4 sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones; segment VIII distinct from VII but sometimes slender and narrowed to base. Pronotum usually with 5 pairs of major setae (sometimes reduced to 3), major males often with anteroangular pair long; notopleural sutures complete. Prosternal basantra absent, ferna well developed, mesoprestemum usually eroded medially and divided in three; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Fore tarsal tooth present in both sexes; fore femur of male with pair of apical tubercles or teeth, often absent in small male. Fore wings present and slightly constricted medially, with duplicated cilia. Pelta usually bell-shaped; tergites II‒VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae; tube shorter than head, anal setae as long as tube. Males often show extreme allometry; tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; sternite VIII with or without pore plate; sternites sometimes with specialised areas of reticulation anterolaterally.

Nomenclatural data

Phloeothrips (Hoplandrothrips) Hood, 1912:145. Type species Phloeothrips (Hoplandrothrips) xanthopus Hood, 1912 (=jennei Jones, 1912), by original designation.

There are 117 species worldwide listed in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2022).

Australian species
Hoplandrothrips abrasi Mound & Tree, 2013: 479
Hoplandrothrips bartlei Mound & Tree, 2013: 480
Hoplandrothrips brunneicinctus Mound & Tree, 2013: 480
Hoplandrothrips coorongi Mound & Tree, 2013: 482
Hoplandrothrips flavipes Bagnall, 1923: 628
Hoplandrothrips fuscus (Moulton, 1968: 94)
Hoplandrothrips gloriosi Mound & Tree, 2013: 485
Hoplandrothrips hemiflavus Mound & Tree, 2013: 485
Hoplandrothrips howei Mound & Tree, 2013: 487
Hoplandrothrips hylaius Mound & Tree, 2013: 487
Hoplandrothrips ibisci Mound & Tree, 2013: 488
Hoplandrothrips leai (Karny, 1925: 37)
Hoplandrothrips oreillyi Mound & Tree, 2013: 490
Horistothrips quadriconus Girault, 1928: 4
Hoplandrothrips tareei Mound & Tree, 2013: 491
Hoplandrothrips xanthocnemis (Karny, 1920: 39)

Relationship data

One of the most species-rich genera of Phlaeothripinae, and closely related to Ecacanthothrips, but also to Adraneothrips in which species are built rather less robustely. Despite the traditional views of workers from the 1930's that were based on wing shape, Hoplandrothrips is probably closely related to Hoplothrips although with longer maxillary stylets, and apparently never with short-winged morphs. In contrast to the species of Holoengythrips, the head is never elevated dorsally into a longitudinal ridge.

Distribution data

The genus is found worldwide, and various species have been found across the more moist areas of Australia.

Biological data

Fungus-feeding on dead branches. The variation in structure, between males and females, and between the largest and smallest males of some species, suggest that some form of male/male competition is involved.

References

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2013) Fungus-feeding thrips from Australia in the worldwide genus Hoplandrothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae). Zootaxa 3700 (3): 476–494.

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