Print Fact SheetThorybothrips

Generic diagnosis

Medium sized, dark, macropterous Phlaeothripinae with long dark setae. Head longer than wide, conical; vertex at base transversally reticulate with faint lines of sculpture but smooth anteriorly, smooth in the ocellar region; postocular setae long; mouth cone short and rounded; maxillary stylets retracted to hind margin of compound eyes, and close together. Antennae 8-segmented; segment II with sensorium in apical half of segment, segments III and IV each with three sense cones; VIII constricted at base. Pronotum transverse with four pairs of long major setae (anteromarginals minute), notopleural sutures complete. Prosternal basantra present; ferna well developed; mesopresternum absent medially; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present and well developed. Fore tarsal tooth present in both sexes, larger in males. Fore wings not constricted medially, with duplicated cilia, fore wing with two sub-basal setae only. Pelta triangular; tergites II‒VII each with two pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 long and pointed in female, setae S2 short and stout in male. Male sternite VIII apparently without pore plate.

Relationships

This aberrant species is of doubtful affinities, but is possibly derived from the Haplothrips-lineage.

Biology

This species is recorded as living in dry grass-lands, and Ulitzka (2021) indicates that in northern Germany the host-plant might be a species of Stipa.  

Distribution

This species was described from Poland and is recorded from Germany, Austria and Hungary as well as  Spain. The second species listed in the genus remains known only from a single female taken on a Yucca plant in Texas, USA. That specimen is possibly mislabelled, or even an unrelated species.

Nomenclature

Thorybothrips Priesner, 1924: 540. Type species Thorybothrips graminis Priesner, 1924 (synonym of Cryptothrips unicolor Schille), by monotypy.

Only two species are listed in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2023).

Euro-Mediterranean species
Thorybothrips unicolor (Schille, 1911)

References

Ulitzka MR (2021) Erstnachweis des Fransenflüglers Thorybothrips unicolor (Schille, 1911) für Deutschland mit Anmerkungen zu weiteren bemerkenswerten Thysanopterenfunden aus Thüringen (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Thüringer Faunistische Abhandlungen 25 [2020]: 141–148.

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