Generic diagnosis

Small, apterous, micropterous or macropterous Phlaeothripinae with body bicoloured and surface with complex reticulate sculpture. Head about as long as wide, usually projecting slightly in front of eyes; eyes much longer on dorsal than ventral surface, postocular setae not developed; maxillary stylets usually deeply retracted and close together. Antennae 8-segmented, III with 1 sense cone, IV with 2 sense cones, VIII usually lanceolate, sometimes broadly joined. Pronotum transverse, with 5 pairs of short, broadly capitate major setae; notopleural sutures usually incomplete. Prosternal basantra weak, ferna transverse; mesopresternum transverse; anterior margin of mesoeusternum sometimes eroded; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Metanotum with about 6 pairs of minor setae in longitudinal rows. Fore tarsus usually with small tooth. Fore wing sub-medially sharply constricted or twisted, without duplicated cilia; sub-basal setae short and capitate. Tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae, posteromarginal setal pair with asymmetric broadly capitate apex, arising close to second wing-retaining seta; VII–VIII with irregular group of discal setae; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 capitate, shorter than basal width of tube in both sexes; tube usually shorter than head length, anal setae shorter than tube. Male with large poorly defined pore plate on sternites VII and VIII.

Nomenclatural data

Stictothrips Hood, 1925: 295. Type species Phloeothrips maculatus Hood, 1909, by monotypy.

There are seven species described in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2022).

Australian species
Stictothrips aoristus Mound & Tree, 2015: 330
Stictothrips namadji Mound & Tree, 2015: 330

Relationship data

The genus is a member of the Phlaeothrips-lineage in the Phlaeothripinae, and the species have remarkably complex body sculpture.

Distribution data

The type species of the genus is from North America, and there are two species from Iran, and two that are found between Africa and India. The two species known only from Australia are possibly not closely related to the other members of the genus.

Biological data

All of the species appear to be fungus-feeding on dead branches,

References

Minaei K & Mound LA (2020) Key to world Stictothrips species with description of a new species from Iran (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae), Zootaxa, 4772 (2), 379–384.

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2015) Fungus-feeding Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae of the Idiothrips genus-group in Australia, with nine new species. Zootaxa 4034 (2): 325–341.

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