Generic diagnosis

Medium sized, macropterous Phlaeothripinae. Head small with all setae short and pointed; maxillary stylets wide apart and low in head. Antennae 8-segmented, III with no sense cones, IV with 1 sense cone. Pronotum with almost no sculpture; epimeral and posteroangular setal pairs well-developed, the other three pairs no larger than discal setae; notopleural sutures incomplete. Metanotum without sculpture. Fore tarsal tooth absent. Fore wings parallel sided, without duplicated cilia, sub-basal setae minute. Prosternal basantra absent; ferna large but not meeting medially; mesopresternum reduced to 2 small triangles; metathoracic sternopleural sutures not present. Pelta hat-shaped with small lateral lobes; tergites weakly reticulate; II–VI each with 1 pair of almost straight wing-retaining setae; setae S1 on IX shorter than tube. Tube longer than head, anal setae short. Male with short wings not extending beyond tergite V; fore tarsal tooth absent; sternite VIII without pore plate.

Relationships

This genus is not clearly related to any leaf-feeding Phlaeothripinae. However, the demonstration that the species is associated with fungal hyphae at the base of the leaves of the plants on which it breeds (Moritz et al. 2004) suggest that it may be related to some genus of fungus-feeding species. The very short maxillary stylets and the lack of any sense cones on the third antennal segment might indicate a relationship to Sophiothrips.

Biology

This thrips is known only from substantial colonies found breeding on Dracaena trifasciata (=Sansevieria) [Aspagaraceae], an African plant that is much cultivated in protected environments in Europe. Apparently the thrips does not feed on the tissues of the plant but on a Penicillium fungus growing at the base of the plant (Moritz et al., 2004).

Distribution

Although the host plant occurs naturally across much of tropical Africa, this thrips was described from specimens breeding on plants in a greenhouse at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England. It was subsequently found in continental Europe, and a substantial colony was reared and studied by Gerald Moritz and colleagues in a laboratory at Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.

Nomenclature

Suocerathrips Mound & Marullo, 1994: 96. Type species Suocerathrips linguis Mound & Marullo, 1994, by monotypy.

Only one species is recognised in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2023)

Euro-Mediterranean species
Suocerathrips linguis Mound & Marullo, 1994

References

Moritz G, Schäfer E, Kumm S, Steller A, Tschuch G (2004) Der Alien-Thrips: Suocerathrips linguis - Biologie und Verhalten. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewandte Entomologie 14: 177–181.

Mound LA & Marullo R (1994) New thrips on Mother-in-Law's Tongue. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 130: 95–98.