Print Fact SheetKarnyothrips

Generic diagnosis

Small to medium sized, usually macropterous Phlaeothripinae. Head longer than wide; postocular setae present; genae without stout setae; mouth-cone short and rounded; maxillary stylets retracted at least to postocular setae; maxillary bridge present.  Antennae 8-segmented; segment III with 2 (rarely 1 or 3) sense cones; IV with 3 (or 4) sense cones. Pronotum with little sculpture; notopleural sutures usually complete; anteromarginal setae reduced or vestigial, other four pairs of major setae usually capitate. Prosternal basantra and ferna large, mesopresternum usually complete, rarely divided into 2 or 3 plates; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Fore tarsus with forwardly directed tooth in both sexes. Fore wing weakly constricted medially, with or without duplicated cilia. Pelta usually trapezoidal; tergites II‒VII usually each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae; tube shorter than head, anal setae almost twice as long as tube. Male tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; sternite VIII without pore plate.

Relationships

This is a large but weakly diagnosed genus of almost 80 Haplothripini species, and the species included that are native to the Americas are probably not closely related to the majority of species that are from Asia. Okajima and Masumoto (2024) have provided an extensive discussion of character state variation and systematic relationships among the many species placed in Karnyothrips, and the associated genera Apterygothrips, Mesandrothrips and Xylaplothrips.

Biology

The biology of most Karnyothrips species remains unknown, although members of the genus have sometimes been referred to as predators (Wang et al., 2022). The three species listed here are all known as predators on various coccoids.

Distribution

The species of this genus have been described almost entirely from the warmer parts of the world, particularly from eastern Asia. The three species listed here are known in Europe only from protected environments, such as greenhouses, but are presumably Asian in origin.

Nomenclature

Karnyothrips Watson, 1923: 23. Type species Karynia weigeli Watson 1922 [synonym of Anthothrips flavipes Jones], by monotypy.

There are 77 species listed in this genus, together with a further four generic synonyms (ThripsWiki, 2023; Okajima & Masumoto, 2024).

Euro-Mediterranean species
Karnyothrips americanus (Hood, 1912)
Karnyothrips flavipes (Jones, 1912)
Karnyothrips melaleucus (Bagnall, 1911)

References

Mound LA & Minaei K (2007) Australian insects of the Haplothrips lineage (Thysanoptera – Phlaeothripinae). Journal of Natural History 41: 2919–2978.

Okajima S (2006) The Insects of Japan. Volume 2. The suborder Tubulifera (Thysanoptera). Fukuoka : Touka Shobo Co. Ltd. pp. 1–720.

Okajima S & Masumoto M (2024) Review of the genus Karnyothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) from Asia between India and Japan. Zootaxa XXXX: XX-XX.

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

Wang ZH, Mound LA,  Hussain M,  Arthurs SP &  Mao RQ (2022) Predation diversity of Thysanoptera and their potential as biological agents. Pest Management Science Wileyonlinelibrary.com 2022: 1-14. DOI: 10.1002/ps7176