Print Fact SheetBactrothrips

Generic diagnosis

Large, black, slender, macropterous Idolothripinae with abdominal segment X bearing long setae laterally. Head longer than wide, slightly prolonged in front of eyes; maxillary stylets broad, either deeply retracted and close together medially or not retracted as far as postocular setae and almost one third of head width apart. Antennae 8-segmented, 2 sense cones on segment III, 4 on IV. Pronotum often with notopleural sutures incomplete, five pairs of major setae usually present. Prosternal basantra present; mesopresternum transverse; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Both sexes with no fore tarsal tooth. Fore wing with many duplicated cilia. Pelta with lateral wings; tergites II–VII each usually with 2 pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tube with prominent lateral setae. Males commonly with paired tubercles laterally on median tergites; tergite IX with setal pair S2 as long as S1.

Relationships

The genus is a member of the Idolothripina, a subtribe of the Idolothripinae, but the sole species in Europe has a shorter head than the many species from tropical countries. The species of Bactrothrips are very similar to those placed in the Palaearctic genus Megathrips, but synonymising these two genera would lead to nomenclatural complexities among the many tropical species.

Biology

These species feed on fungal spores on dead branches.

Distribution

The type-species is from West Africa, and the remaining species in the genus are from other parts of the Old World tropics, including Australia (Mound & Tree, 2011). Only buffai is found as far North as the Mediterranean region, in southern France and Italy.

Nomenclature

Bactrothrips Karny, 1912: 131. Type species Bactrothrips longiventris Karny, by monotypy.

Worldwide 53 species are listed in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2023).

Euro-Mediterranean species
Bactrothrips buffai (Karny, 1921) 

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.

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2011) Australian spore-feeding Thysanoptera of the genus Bactrothrips (Phlaeothripidae - Idolothripinae). Zootaxa, 3087: 56–65.

Priesner H (1964) Ordnung Thysanoptera (Fransenflügler, Thripse). in Franz H, Bestimmungsbücher zur Bodenfauna Europas 2: 1–242. Akademie-Verlag.