Mecynothrips Bagnall

Dang, Li-Hong & Qiao, Ge-Xia, 2013, Review of the spore-feeding Idolothripinae from China (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), ZooKeys 345, pp. 1-28 : 15-18

Mecynothrips Bagnall

Remarks.

The 14 species included in this genus involve some of the largest Thysanoptera , and in the proventriculus of adults there is a prominent basket-like structure that is probably involved in crushing the fungus spores on which these species feed ( Tree et al. 2010). A similar structure also occurs in species of Elaphrothrips . Four species are recorded from China: Mecynothrips kanoi , Mecynothrips pugilator , Mecynothrips simplex and Mecynothrips taiwanus , of which Mecynothrips simplex is here newly recorded from China based on four females and eight males from Yunnan and Hainan Provinces. Okajima (1979) described Mecynothrips taiwanus from Taiwan, and this can be distinguished from Mecynothrips pugilator by having a longer preocular projection from base of antennal segment I to anterior margin of eyes about 1.5 times as long as wide, whereas in Mecynothrips pugilator this is about as long as wide. The species Mecynothrips kanoi was described from Taiwan, but the depositary of the syntypes is unknown, and no useful characters can be taken from the simple original description. Therefore, Mecynothrips kanoi is excluded in the following key to Chinese species of Mecynothrips .

Diagnosis.

Head much longer than broad, with prominent projection in front of eyes; eyes normal; 2 pairs of postoculars developed, also 1 pair of anterocellars well-developed, and 1 pair of postocellars; stylets short, V-shaped; antennae 8-segmented, segment III with 2 sensoria, IV with 4; pronotal major setae pointed or blunt, notopleural sutures usually complete, often incomplete; basantra present; mesopraesternum devel oped; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent; fore wings with duplicated cilia; fore tarsal tooth present in male, absent in female, fore tibiae sometimes with seta-bearing apical tubercle in male, fore femur with a tumor or tubercles on inner margin in large male; pelta broad, with two prominent lateral lobes; abdominal tergites II–VII each with 2 or 3 pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tube smooth, without prominent lateral setae; anal setae shorter than tube.

Key to Mecynothrips species from China