Apostlethrips Mound & Minaei, 2006

Wang, Jun, Mound, Laurence & Tree, Desley J., 2019, A new species of Apostlethrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae); an Australian genus from grass tussocks, Zootaxa 4688 (1), pp. 144-146 : 144

Apostlethrips Mound & Minaei

Apostlethrips Mound & Minaei, 2006: 2 . Type species: Apostlethrips apostus Mound & Minaei , by original designation.

Diagnosis: Macropterous, micropterous or apterous, with body surface having little sculpture. Head longer than wide, prolonged in front of bulging eyes, with genae constricted both to base and behind eyes; ocellar and postocular setae stout and weakly capitate; maxillary stylets wide apart, little retracted into head capsule; antennae 8-segmented, III with 0 or 1 sense cones, IV with 2 sense cones. Pronotal epim setae stout and weakly capitate; am, aa, ml and pa setae no more than twice as long as discal setae. Mesonotal spiracles large, often with complex internal sculpture. Metanotum seldom with sculpture medially. Prosternal basantra and ferna developed, mesopresternum slender and transverse. Fore wing of macroptera without duplicated cilia, with three capitate sub-basal setae; microptera wing lobe with one capitate seta. Tergites II–VII without sigmoid wing retaining setae; tergite IX setae capitate. Male sternites without pore plates.

Comments. In contrast to the species of the most common leaf-litter Phlaeothripidae in Australia, Psalidothrips , Zemiathrips and Mystrothrips ( Wang et al. 2019; Mound 2002; Mound & Tree 2018), the species of Apostlethrips have the prosternal basantra developed, the body setae shorter, and little sculpture on the body surface. The capitate ocellar setae are particularly unusual in the three species of this genus.