
corticis female mic.
ulmi Head female microptera
fungi Head female macroptera
pedicularius Head of female macroptera
pedicularius Head of female microptera
longisetis Head
semicaecus Female aptera head
unicolor Head & pronotum
ulmi Male sternite VIII
pedicularius Female macroptera
semicaecus Female
fungi Pronotum
corticis Pelta & tergite II
longisetis Tergites VIII-X
fungi Antennal segments III-IV
fungi Male sternite VIII
fungi Prosternites
semicaecus Antenna female (mac.)
Large to medium sized, macropterous, micropterous or apterous Phlaeothripinae. Body surface usually with linear or weakly polygonal sculpture. Head longer or shorter than wide; postocular setae well developed, pointed or capitate, varying from longer to shorter than eye length; maxillary stylets retracted to postocular setae, usually close together medially (sometimes sub-parallel medially). Antennae 8-segmented, segment III with 3 or 2 sense cones, IV with 2–4 (usually 4). Pronotum usually with 5 pairs of major setae, but anteromarginals and midlaterals sometimes not developed; notopleural sutures complete (rarely incomplete anterolaterally). Prosternal basantra usually absent; mesopresternum variable, complete, reduced to 2 or 3 plates or absent; mesoeusternal anterior margin usually entire but sometimes strongly eroded; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Metanotum sometimes reticulate medially. Fore tarsal tooth usually present in both sexes, often absent in females. Fore wings sometimes absent or reduced, when present usually parallel sided, duplicated cilia usually present. Pelta shape variable, campaniform sensilla present; tergites II–VII each with two pairs (rarely one pair) of wing-retaining setae, short and straight in wingless individuals; tube shorter than head, anal setae length variable. Male sternite VIII usually with pore plate; several intermediate sternites often with areas of specialized reticulation anterolaterally.
This genus is now considered to be closely related to Hoplandrothrips, the other major genus of fungus-feeding Phlaeothripinae. The species of these two genera exhibit similar variation in body structure, in association with body size, sex and wing development.
Fungus-feeding and often forming large colonies on dead branches, sometimes under bark and in Europe often associated with Stereum fungus. The colonies commonly comprise mainly wingless adults.
Although this genus is found worldwide, there seems to be a particularly large number of species in the Holarctic (Mound et al., 2018), but with curiously few recorded from the Mediterranean area (Priesner, 1964, 1965). Many named species are known only from few individuals, and given the extensive polymorphisms amongst the more well-known species, there is a possibility that further synonymy will be recognised.
Hoplothrips Amyot & Serville, 1843: 640. Type species Thrips corticis De Geer 1773, by subsequent designation of Karny, 1912: 323.
There are 130 species worldwide listed in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2023), and this includes species that were described in seven other genera that are now listed as synonyms of Hoplothrips.
Euro-Mediterranean species
Hoplothrips absimilis Knechtel, 1954
Hoplothrips caespitis (Uzel, 1895)
Hoplothrips carpathicus Pelikan, 1961
Hoplothrips corticis (De Geer, 1773)
Hoplothrips eremicola Jenser, 1991
Hoplothrips fieldsi J. C. Crawford, 1939
Hoplothrips fungi (Zetterstedt, 1828)
Hoplothrips germanae Bournier, 1961
Hoplothrips grassei Bournier, 1967
Hoplothrips grisescens (Priesner, 1924)
Hoplothrips lepidulus zur Strassen, 1977
Hoplothrips longisetis (Bagnall, 1910)
Hoplothrips monspeliensis Bournier, 1961
Hoplothrips pallicornis J. C. Crawford, 1939
Hoplothrips pedicularius (Haliday, 1836)
Hoplothrips polysticti (Morison, 1949)
Hoplothrips quercinus Knechtel, 1935
Hoplothrips recticeps (Karny, 1920)
Hoplothrips semicaecus (Uzel, 1895)
Hoplothrips sordidus Priesner, 1926
Hoplothrips ulmi (Fabricius, 1781)
Hoplothrips unicolor (Vuillet, 1914)
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
Priesner H (1964) Ordnung Thysanoptera (Fransenflügler, Thripse). in Franz H, Bestimmungsbücher zur Bodenfauna Europas 2: 1–242. Akademie-Verlag.
Priesner, H (1965) A monograph of the Thysanoptera of the Egyptian deserts. Publications de l’Institut Desert d’Egypte 13: 1–549. [Published in 1965, the front cover of the volume bears the date 1960 whereas the back cover indicates 1964. The manuscript went to the publisher on 1st October 1951 - teste Herman Priesner to Laurence Mound at Linz, Austria, in 1966]
ThripsWiki (2023). ThripsWiki - providing information on the World's thrips. <http://thrips.info/wiki/Main_Page>