Generic diagnosis

Medium sized, body brown with white lateral stripes on pronotum, macropterous or micropterous Phlaeothripinae. Head longer than wide; postocular setae not developed; genae weakly convex, without major setae; mouthcone pointed, extending to mesoeusternum; maxillary stylets retracted to eyes, close together medially, with stout maxillary guides. Antennae 8-segmented, two sense cone on III, four on IV; VIII slender, contracted to base. Pronotum wider than long, five pairs of capitate major setae; notopleural sutures complete. Prosternal basantra absent; mesopresternum entire but narrow medially and curving toward anterior, mesoeusternal anterior margin divided medially; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Metanotum longitudinally striate with dots between the striae. Fore tarsal tooth absent. Fore wings not constricted medially, with duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular; tergites II─VII with two pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tergite IX with S1 and S2 setae capitate shorter than tube. Tube shorter than head, three times as long as basal width. Male rare, details not available.

Relationships

The three species included in this genus are possibly not closely related. However, the type species, albopictus, is probably related to the species of Acanthothrips and Hoplandrothrips in the Phlaeothrips-lineage.

Biology

These thrips breed on dead branches and presumably feed on fungal hyphae (Mound et al., 2018).

Distribution

The species albopictus is widespread in North America as well as in Europe (Mound & Marullo, 1996), but has also been seen from New Zealand.

Nomenclature

Poecilothrips Uzel, 1895: 264. Type species Poecilothrips albopictus Uzel, 1895, by monotypy.

Three species are listed in this genus, but these are possibly not closely related to each other (ThripsWiki, 2023)

Euro-Mediterranean species
Poecilothrips albopictus Uzel, 1895

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.

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