Print Fact SheetAllidothrips

Generic diagnosis

Apterous Idolothripinae with 7-segmented antennae. Body slender; head longer than wide and as long as pronotum, projecting slightly in front of eyes; vertex smooth, genae without setae; eyes larger dorsally than ventrally; ocelli absent; postocular setae pointed, shorter than eyes. Maxillary stylets broad, retracted to postocular setae, about three-fifths of head width apart, no maxillary bridge; mouth cone broadly rounded; maxillary palps terminal sense cone slender and shorter than width of palp apex. Antennae 7-segmented; segment III with 1 sense cone, IV with 2 sense cones. Pronotum smooth, with 5 pairs of pointed major setae, notopleural sutures incomplete. Prosternal basantra absent; ferna wide apart medially; spinasternum and mesopresternum not present; metasternum laterally largely eroded. Mesonotum and metanotum transverse, smooth, each with paired long setae. Fore tarsus each with long tooth in both sexes. Pelta fully transverse; tergites smooth, no wing-retaining setae but each with pair of long setae sub-medially; tergite IX setae pointed, shorter than tube; tube shorter than head, anal setae shorter than tube.  

Relationships

This genus is currently interpreted as being closely related to Allothrips, but the curiously transverse pelta (first abdominal tergite), the presence of a single sense cone on antennal segment III, and the rather small size of the sense cone at the apex of the maxillary palps, might indicate a different relationship (Mound & Palmer, 1983).

Biology

The two species in this genus are presumed to feed on fungal spores on dead branches.

Distribution

The species tricolor was described from Morroco. The only other species placed in the genus is from South Africa.

Nomenclature

 Allidothrips zur Strassen, 1968: 86. Type species Allidothrips tricolor zur Strassen, by monotypy.

Only two species are listed in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2023).

 Euro-Mediterranean species
Allidothrips tricolor zur Strassen, 1968.

References

Mound LA & Palmer JM (1983) The generic and tribal classification of spore-feeding Thysanoptera (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 46: 1–174.

zur Strassen R (1968) Oekologische und zoogeographische Studien uber die Fransenflugler-Fauna (Ins., Thysanoptera) des sudlichen Marokko. Abhandlungen der senckenbergischen naturforschenden Gesellschaft 515: 1–125.