Generic diagnosis

Apterous Idolothripinae. Body slender; head longer than wide and longer than pronotum, distinctly projecting in front of eyes; vertex smooth with some reticulation near posterior margin, genae slightly convex; eyes reduced to about 7 large facets; ocelli absent; postocular setae blunt, one pair of longer setae in ocellar region, another similar pair on vertex. Maxillary stylets broad, retracted to eyes, one-third of head width apart, no maxillary bridge; mouth cone broadly rounded; maxillary palps terminal sense cone not greatly enlarged. Antennae 8-segmented; segment III with 2, IV with 4 sense cones. Pronotum smooth, with 5 pairs of major weakly capitate setae, notopleural sutures incomplete. Prosternal basantra absent; ferna wide apart medially; mesopresternum reduced to slender irregular transverse sclerite; sternopleural sutures not developed. Metanotum transverse, smooth, with pair of large setae. Fore tarsal tooth absent in both sexes. Pelta wide, with strong transverse sculpture line; tergites smooth, no wing-retaining setae but each with pair of long setae sub-medially; tergite IX setae pointed, as long as tube; tube shorter than head, anal setae shorter than tube.

Relationships

This genus is closely related to Allothrips and is placed in the subtribe Allothripina of the Pygothripini (Phlaeothripidae, Idolothripinae).

Biology

Species of this genus are spore-feeding, and the one listed below is apparently associated with grasses.

Distribution

Of the three species in this genus, one is from South Africa and one from Trinidad-Tobago, whereas meridionalis is recorded only from Southern Europe. However, there remains a possibility that all three represent a single species (Mound & Palmer, 1983).

Nomenclature

Pseudocryptothrips Priesner, 1919: 105. Type species P. meridionalis Priesner, by monotypy.

Only three species are placed in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2023).

Euro-Mediterranean species
Pseudocryptothrips meridionalis Priesner, 1919.

References

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.