Generic diagnosis

Medium sized, brightly coloured, macropterous Phlaeothripinae with holoptic eyes. Head longer than wide, eyes surround ocellar triangle; postocular setae small, close together; maxillary stylets retracted to compound eyes, close together medially; mouth cone extending to mesosternum. Antennae 8-segmented but suture between VII and VIII sometimes incomplete; III with 2 sense cones, IV with 3 or 4 sense cones. Pronotum with median transverse apodeme; all 5 pairs of major setae present, apices capitate; notopleural sutures incomplete. Prosternal basantra absent; mesopresternum broadly boat-shaped; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Fore tarsus without tooth except some major males with stout tooth projecting forwards; fore femora of males sometimes with stout tubercle. Tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; lateral tergal sculpture with tuberculate microtrichia; tergite IX S1 capitate and shorter than tube, S2 acute and as long as tube. Male without sternal pore plate.

Nomenclatural data

Macrophthalmothrips Karny, 1922: 34. New name for Ophthalmothrips Karny, 1920: 38 [homonym of Ophthalmothrips Hood, 1919]. Type species Ophthalmothrips argus Karny.

There are 16 species recognised in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2022).

Australian species
Macrophthalmothrips argus (Karny, 1920: 38)
Macrophthalmothrips flavafemora Moulton, 1947: 173
Macrophthalmothrips neocaledonensis Bournier, 1997: 147

Relationship data

The holoptic compound eyes of species in this genus are unique amongst Phlaeothripinae, although species in two Neotropical genera, Eupathithrips and Sedulothrips, share some character states.

Distribution data

This genus is found throughout the tropics, with most known species from southeast Asia or from South America. In Australia two species have been found in Queensland rainforests, and one species described from New Caledonia has been found on Norfolk Island.

Biological data

The species in this genus are fungus-feeding on dead branches, and they sometimes exist as large colonies. Judging from the variation in size of males and their fore leg armature, it is likely that some of the species exhibit male/male combat.

References

Mound LA (1972) Tropical fungus-feeding Thysanoptera of the genus Macrophthalmothrips. Journal of Entomology (B) 41: 77–88.

Mound LA & Wells A (2015) Endemics and adventives: Thysanoptera (Insecta) Biodiversity of Norfolk, a tiny Pacific Island. Zootaxa 3964 (2): 183–210.

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