A revision of the tribe Plectrothripini of fungus‐feeding Thysanoptera (Phlaeothripidae: Phlaeothripinae)

Abstract

The tribe Plectrothripini is redefined with examination of its systematic relationships. Keys are provided to the ten genera and forty‐seven species in this tribe; one genus and eighteen species are newly described; one genus and two species are newly synonymized; two genera, Chiridothrips and Eurytrichothrips, are here removed from this tribe. The species of the tribe occur throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world; seventeen species are recorded from the Oriental Region, seventeen species from the Neotropical Region, ten species from the Afrotropical Region, two from Australia and one from the Pacific. They seem to be fungus‐feeders, being found mainly under the bark of trees or on dead branches.

Two new Australian fungus-feeding thrips in two new Plectrothripini genera (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae)

“…Membership of the Tribe Plectrothripini is fairly clear, with the species sharing most of the following character states as indicated by Okajima (1981): antennae 8-segmented, segment II with the campaniform sensillum on the basal half, III-IV with a variable number of short, stout sense cones, VIII elongate with narrow base. Head with posterior ocelli close to compound eyes.…”

“…The species in this Tribe are all fungus-feeders on dead branches, and the group is found in the tropics worldwide. Okajima (1981) provided an extensive, illustrated account of the Plectrothripini, recognising 10 genera and almost 50 species, to which Tyagi et al (2016) added one further species. Six of these genera remain monotypic, with two genera each comprising five or six species, and Plectrothrips itself with about 30 species.…”

A new species of Chirothripoides (Thysanoptera: Tubulifera) from India and Malaysia

“…This genus can be characterised as follows (Okajima 1981;Bhatti 1998a, b). Head longer than broad, distinctly produced in front of eyes; maxillary stylets short; mouthcone short and rounded; postocular setae minute; eyes large.…”

“…The paratype of this new species was listed under malayensis by Okajima (1981) but excluded from the type series of that species. In the key to species by Okajima (1981), brahmaputrai runs to couplet 4. However, it is distinguished from the two species at that point, faurei and malayensis, because they both have the mid and hind tarsi 2-segmented.…”

“…A new species is described here from two specimens; one collected on shrubs near Brahmaputra River, Assam State, India and the other from Malaysia. The latter specimen was listed by Okajima (1981) under C. malayensis with a note "material excluded from paratype series". A key to the six species of Chirothripoides is also provided, and molecular data of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (mtCOI) from the holotype of the new species was generated as additional data for future studies.…”