Scirtothrips Shull, 1909

Rasool, Iftekhar, Alattal, Yehya Zaki & Aldhafer, Hathal M., 2023, Faunistic inventory, identification keys and zoogeographical analysis of the Thysanoptera-Terebrantia of Saudi Arabia, including two new species, Zootaxa 5306 (2), pp. 151-200 : 183

Scirtothrips Shull

This is the third largest genus of Thripidae , comprising 106 species worldwide (ThripsWiki 2023), with seven species known from Arabian Peninsula ( Yemen and UAE) (zur Strassen & van Harten 2006, 2008; zur Strassen 1990). It is the largest genus among 11 known genera of Scirtothrips genus-group, and was characterized in detail by Masumoto and Okajima (2007) and by Ng and Mound (2015). The genus Scirtothrips can be differentiated from other genera of Thripinae based on the following charcters: Antennae 8-segmented, I without dosal apical setae, III–IV with forked sense-cones; pronotum with narrow-spaced transverse striae, no long posteroangular setae but four pairs of setae on posterior margin to posterior angles; major setae on pronotum and fore wing tapering and sharply pointed; meso and metanota without CPS; tergal lateral thirds with closely spaced rows of microtrichia; tergal setae S1 often close to each other medially; CPS absent on tergite IX; ocellar setae pair I present; fore wing second vein with less than 12 setae; abdominal sternites III–VII with microtrichia rows at least laterally, IV–VI with posteromarginal setae arising at margin, discal setae absent.