Generic diagnosis

Large, slender, macropterous Idolothripinae, with males exhibiting size-associated allometry in various structures. Head more than twice as long as wide, projecting in front of bulging eyes; usually with two pairs of ocellar setae, pair I near anterior ocellus, pair II near posterior ocelli; two pairs of postocular setae; genae with at least 3 stout setae; maxillary stylets short, V-shaped and low in head. Antennae 8-segmented, III with 2 sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones. Pronotum of large male sometimes with anteroangular horns; notopleural sutures complete, but sometimes incomplete in large male. Prosternal basantra present, mesopresternum broad; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Fore tarsal tooth present in male, absent in female; fore femora enlarged in large males; fore tibia sometimes with seta-bearing apical tubercle in male. Fore wings with numerous duplicated cilia. Pelta with well-developed lateral wings; tergite II with two pairs of wing-retaining setae, but III–V each with three pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae and numerous sigmoid accessory setae. Tube shorter than head, sides almost straight, with few lateral setae and evenly narrowing to anal ring.

Nomenclatural data

Mecynothrips Bagnall, 1908: 356. Type species Mecynothrips wallacei Bagnall, by monotypy.

This genus of 14 species replaces the pantropical Elaphrothrips East of Wallaces Line in Indonesia (ThripsWiki, 2022).

Australian species
Mecynothrips acanthus (Hood, 1918: 77).
Mecynothrips hardyi (Priesner, 1928: 657).
Mecynothrips wallacei Bagnall, 1908: 357.

Relationship data

This genus is closely related to the pantropical genus Elaphrothrips in the Idolothripinae, Idolothripini, Elaphrothripina. Similar in size and shape to Idolothrips but without prominent lateral setae on the tube.

Distribution data

Two of the species in Australia are found only in rain forest in northern Queensland, but hardyi lives on the dead leaves of Acacia harpophylla in arid areas of southern Queensland.

Biological data

Spore-feeding on dead branches and dead leaves, adults (but not larvae) of these species have a spore-crushing apparatus in the fore gut (Tree et al. 2010).

References

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

Palmer JM & Mound LA (1978) Nine genera of fungus-feeding Phlaeothripidae (Thysanoptera) from the Oriental Region. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 37: 153–215.

Tree DJ, Mound LA & Walter GH (2010) Fungal spore-feeding by adult and larval Mecynothrips hardyi (Priesner) (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae). Journal of Natural History 44: 307–316.

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