Generic diagnosis

Medium sized, usually macropterous, sexually dimorphic Phlaeothripinae. Head length variable, vertex usually reticulate; postocular setae well developed; genae with a few setae; mouth cone often long and pointed; maxillary stylets deeply retracted, close together medially, no maxillary bridge. Antennae 8-segmented; segment III with 2‒4 sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones; segment VIII distinct from VII but sometimes slender and narrowed to base. Pronotum usually with 5 pairs of major setae (sometimes reduced to 3), major males often with anteroangular pair long; notopleural sutures complete. Prosternal basantra absent, ferna well developed, mesoprestemum usually eroded medially and divided in three; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Fore tarsal tooth present in both sexes; fore femur of male with pair of apical tubercles or teeth, often absent in small male. Fore wings present and slightly constricted medially, with duplicated cilia. Pelta usually bell-shaped; tergites II‒VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae; tube shorter than head, anal setae as long as tube. Males often show extreme allometry; tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; sternite VIII with or without pore plate; sternites sometimes with specialised areas of reticulation anterolaterally.

Relationships

Contrary to earlier publications from Europe, this genus is probably closely related to Hoplothrips as well as to Acanthothrips and to Phlaeothrips, the other major genera of fungus-feeding Phlaeothripinae (Okajima & Masumoto, 2024). Within some species of Hoplandrothrips there is considerable structural variation in association with body size and allometric growth, particularly among males (Mound et al., 2018; Mound & Tree, 2013).

Biology

These are fungus-feeding species, some of which may form considerable colonies on dead branches of various tree species. The adults are usually fully winged.

Distribution

The genus is widespread around the world, with many species in tropical areas (Mound & Marullo, 1996), 16 species recorded from Australia (Mound & Tree, 2013), and several species found only across the Holarctic. Renarkably very few species of the genus are recorded from the Mediterranean area (Priesner, 1964).

Nomenclature

Phloeothrips (Hoplandrothrips) Hood, 1912:145. Type species Phloeothrips (Hoplandrothrips) xanthopus Hood, 1912 [synonym of Phloeothrips jennei Jones], by original designation.

Worldwide there are 117 species have been listed in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2023), however a further 13 species were described by Okajima & Masumoto (2024).

Euro-Mediterranean species
Hoplandrothrips bidens (Bagnall, 1910)
Hoplandrothrips consobrinus Knechtel, 1951
Hoplandrothrips ellisi Bagnall, 1914
Hoplandrothrips famellicus (Priesner, 1961)
Hoplandrothrips maderensis zur Strassen, 1977
Hoplandrothrips priesneri (John, 1927)
Hoplandrothrips williamsianus (Priesner, 1923)

References

Mound LA, Collins DW, Hastings A (2018). Thysanoptera Britannica et Hibernica - Thrips of the British Isles. Lucidcentral.org, Identic Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia. https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/british_thrips/index.html

Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2013) Fungus-feeding thrips from Australia in the worldwide genus Hoplandrothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae). Zootaxa 3700 (3): 476–494.

Okajima S & Masumoto M (2024) The genus Hoplandrothrips and its relatives (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)from Southeast Asia and Taiwan Zootaxa 5489 (1): 22–91.

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

ThripsWiki (2023). ThripsWiki - providing information on the World's thrips. <http://thrips.info/wiki/Main_Page>