Ischyrothrips Schmutz

Ischyrothrips Schmutz, 1913: 1074 . Type-species: Ischyrothrips crassus Schmutz, by subsequent designation, Priesner, 1949: 134.

The genus Ischyrothrips was described from Ceylon (= Sri Lanka) with four species, of which niger was synonymised with Ethirothrips stenomelas, obscurus was transferred to Ethirothrips (Mound & Palmer 1983) and spinosus was transferred to Dinothrips (Palmer & Mound 1978) . As a result, crassus remained as the type-species of the genus. It is undoubtedly nearly allied to Ethirothrips and Machatothrips although the fore femur is relatively developed with 7–10 small tubercles on inner margin in both sexes, the pelta is tri-lobed and the fore tibia is ridged on inner surface with one or two apical tubercle(s). Machatothrips has similar fore femoral tubercles, but these are usually found in the female, and has a pair of long ocellar setae (= interocellar setae) as well as the pelta widely triangular. Ethirothrips has unarmed fore femora, but all the other character states are not distinguishable from this genus. Excluding the features of the fore legs, this genus is more similar to Ethirothrips than to Machatothrips, and it may appear that I. crassus is an unusual member of the genus Ethirothrips .