A key is provided to the species of Aptinothrips: elegans Priesner, karnyi John, rufus (Haliday) and stylifer Trybom, with notes on their biology, host preferences and distribution. The following new synonymies are also included: Thrips imaginis Bagnall (= Aptinothrips apertus Kelly and Mayne); Aptinothrips stylifer Trybom (= Aptinothrips nitidulus forma groenlandica Richter).