
propinquus Female
propinquus Head & thorax
propinquus Head & pronotum
propinquus ventral head & thorax
propinquus Mesonotum to tergite II
Medium-sized, macropterous or micropterous Idolothripinae. Head shape varying between species, usually slightly wider than long, but in a few species longer than wide; compound eyes sometimes prolonged ventrally; postocellar setae often long; maxillary stylets stout, wide apart and V-shaped in position, retracted almost to postocular setae; maxillary palp segment I not longer than wide, much shorter than segment II. Antennae 8-segmented; segment III with 2 sense cones, IV with 4; segment VIII not constricted at base. Pronotum transverse, notopleural sutures complete; with 5 pairs of major setae. Prosternal basantra present but sometimes weak; mesopresternum transverse almost boat-shaped; metathoracic sternopleural sutures usually long and curved. Fore tarsal tooth absent in female, present in male; fore femora often swollen in male but not in female. Pelta extending widely across tergite II anterior margin; tergites each with a single pair of wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae often long. Tube shorter than head. Male with tergite IX setae similar to those of female; sternal pore plates not present.
This is one of about 12 genera in the Diceratothripina, a particularly diverse subtribe of the Idolothripinae - Pygothipini (Mound & Palmer, 1983).
The species feed on fungal spores, and they are commonly found at the base of grasses, although others are sometimes found on dead branches.
The only member of this genus recorded from Europe is an Australian species that is widespread along the old sailing ship route from that continent to Europe (Mound, 1983). Most species of Nesothrips are from the Australasian region (Eow et al., 2014).
Nesothrips Kirkaldy, 1907: 103. Type species Nesothrips oahuensis Kirkaldy, by monotypy.
The 31 species listed in this genus are all from the southern hemisphere (ThripsWiki, 2023).
Euro-Mediterraneanspecies
Nesothrips propinquus (Bagnall, 1916).
Eow LX, Mound LA, Tree DJ & Cameron SL (2014) Fungus-feeding Australian species of spore-feeding Thysanoptera in the genera Carientothrips and Nesothrips (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae). Zootaxa 3821 (2): 193–221.
Mound LA (1983) Natural and disrupted patterns of geographical distribution in Thysanoptera (Insecta). Journal of Biogeography 10: 119–133.
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.
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