Generic diagnosis

Small, usually apterous, bicoloured Phlaeothripinae with slender body. Head relatively large, genae extending around eyes laterally; eyes much longer dorsally than ventrally; maxillary stylets deeply retracted, close together; mouth cone reaching mid-point of prosternum. Antennae 8-segmented; segment III with 1 (or 0) sense cone, IV with 2; VI relatively large and broadly truncate at apex, VII–VIII closely joined but not fused. Pronotum parallel sided, notopleural sutures weak. Prosternal basantra absent, mesopresternum weak; metathoracic sternopleural sutures long. Legs short, fore tarsal tooth usually absent in both sexes. Pelta rounded; macropterae with 2 pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae, apterae with reduced tergal setae; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 expanded at apex. Male sternite VIII usually without pore plate.

Nomenclatural data

Jacotia Faure, 1940: 159. Type species Jacotia elegiae Faure, 1940, by monotypy.

Five species are known in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2022).

Australian species
Jacotia glyptus Mound, 1995: 91
Jacotia idaeus Mound, 1995: 93
Jacotia palmerae Mound, 1995: 93
Jacotia rhodorcha Mound & Minaei, 2006: 11

Relationship data

There are no clear relationships of this genus within the Phlaeothripinae.

Distribution data

The type species of this genus is from South Africa, but the other four species are all from Eastern or Western Australia.

Biological data

The various species have been found on dead branches and at the base of grasses and sedges, where they presumably are fungus-feeding.

References

Mound LA (1995) Jacotia (Phlaeothripidae), a second genus of Thysanoptera with disjunct distribution between Australia and South Africa. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 34: 90–94.

Mound LA & Minaei K (2006) New fungus-feeding thrips (Thysanoptera-Phlaeothripinae) from tropical Australia. Zootaxa 1150: 1–17.

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