Generic diagnosis

Small, usually macropterous Phlaeothripinae. Head slightly longer than wide; postocular setae pointed or expanded; mouth cone short, maxillary stylets deeply retracted, about one third of head width apart, maxillary bridge present. Antennae 8-segmented, segment III with 2 sense-cones, IV with 2 sense-cones; VIII slender and constricted basally. Pronotum transverse with little sculpture; with 4 or 5 pairs of major setae, anteromarginal pair sometimes reduced; notopleural sutures complete. Prosternal basantra and ferna present; mesopresternum complete; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Fore tarsus usually with a small, forwardly directed, tooth. Fore wings constricted medially but less so than in Haplothrips species; duplicated cilia present. Pelta variable, triangular to bell-shaped; tergites II‒VII each with two pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae pointed, shorter than tube; tube shorter than head. Male tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; sternite VIII without pore plate.

Nomenclatural data

Xylaplothrips Priesner, 1928: 572. Type species: Cryptothrips fuliginosa Schille, 1910, by monotypy.

Only 11 species are recognised in this genus (Mound & Tree 2019). However, a further 6 species are listed under this generic name (ThripsWiki, 2022) that are known only from their original descriptions of which each lacks sufficient detail to determine its generic relationship.

Australian species
Xylaplothrips acaciae (Mound & Minaei, 2007: 2944)
Xylaplothrips anarsius Mound & Tree, 2019: 330
Xylaplothrips collyerae (Mound & Walker, 1986: 40)
Xylaplothrips gahniae (Mound & Minaei, 2007: 2953)

Relationship data

This Phlaeothripinae genus is a member of the Haplothripini. The included species are essentially similar to Haplothrips species in structure, but each of them has only 2 sense cones on both the third and the fourth antennal segments. Antennal segment VIII is rather more slender than in Haplothrips species, but this is least so in X. gahniae.

Distribution data

The 11 species recognised as members of this genus (Mound & Tree 2019) are from the Palaearctic and Australian Regions, whereas a further six species that are currently listed under this generic name are from Africa and Asia. The four species recorded from Australia are all from the eastern half of the continent, although the European type species, fuliginosa, was taken in quarantine at Melbourne on one occasion in 2015.

Biological data

Apart from collyerae and fuliginosa that are known to be predatory, the biology of the other members of this genus remains unknown.

References

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2019) Rediagnoses of the Asian genera Xylaplothrips and Mesandrothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae, Haplothripini), with keys to Australian species. Zootaxa 4613 (2): 327–341.

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