Apelaunothrips Priesner

Mound, Laurence A., Dang, Li-Hong & Tree, Desley J., 2013, Genera of fungivorous Phlaeothripinae (Thysanoptera) from dead branches and leaf-litter in Australia, Zootaxa 3681 (3), pp. 201-224 : 206

Apelaunothrips Priesner

Okajima (1979) provided a key to 19 of the 35 species now listed in this genus. These species live in leaf litter and on dead twigs. One bicoloured species, A. tasmani , was described from northern Queensland and is also known from near Darwin in Northern Territory ( Fig. 3 ), but a second species, with the head and abdomen largely yellow, has been collected at Cape Tribulation.

Diagnosis. Head often longer than wide, cheeks weakly rounded, without stout setae, slightly incut behind large eyes; postocular setae usually long, capitate; maxillary stylets long, close together medially, broader than typical Phlaeothripinae ; antennae 8-segmented, III with 3 (or 2) sensoria, IV with 4 (or 3) sensoria; pronotum usually with 5 pairs of capitate setae, notopleural sutures complete; basantra absent; mesopraesternum transverse; no sternopleural sutures; fore tarsi usually without tooth in both sexes; fore wings, if present, weakly constricted medially, with duplicated cilia; pelta triangular or bell-shaped; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae in macropterae; tube shorter than head, anal setae usually shorter than tube; male sternite VIII without pore plate.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Phlaeothripinae genera. (1) Adraneothrips sp.; (2) Adurothrips atopus; (3) Apelaunothrips tasmani; (4) Apostlethrips pygus; (5) Apostlethrips apostus; (6) Asemothrips picturatus; (7) Azaleothrips lepidus, metanotum.