Oxythrips Uzel, 1895

Zhang, Shimeng, Wang, Zhaohong, Li, Yajin & Mound, Laurence, 2018, One new species, two generic synonyms and eight new records of Thripidae from China (Thysanoptera), Zootaxa 4418 (4), pp. 370-378 : 376

Oxythrips Uzel

Oxythrips UZel, 1895: 133 .

Chilothrips Hood, 1916: 119 . Syn.n.

The genus Chilothrips was erected fOr a species frOm eastern NOrth America living in the male cOnes Of Pinus trees, and subsequently twO further species frOm CalifOrnia, and fOur frOm China were added (ThripsWiki 2018). PrOblems with distinguishing this genus frOm Oxythrips , the EurOpean type species Of which alsO breeds in Pinus , were discussed by Stannard (1973), whO cOncluded that “this American genus is but a clOse side-shOOt frOm Oxythrips ”. The key tO genera Of the Anaphothrips grOup by MasumOtO and Okajima (2017) distinguished Chilothrips as having: fOre tibia with a stOut apical seta; female with mOuth cOne lOng; tergite X twice as lOng as IX. In cOntrast, Oxythrips species have: fOre tibia with a thin apical seta; female with mOuth cOne usually shOrt; tergite X usually subequal tO IX. This separatiOn is clearly nOt rObust, and is further weakened because males have a smaller mOuth cOne than females. MOreOver, females Of the cOmmOn EurOpean species, Oxythrips bicolor , anOther species frOm Pinus male cOnes, have a large stOut mOuth cOne, and tergite X is twice as lOng as tergite IX. This species cOuld equally well be placed in Chilothrips . HOwever, intersex individuals recOrded cOmmOnly in nOrthern ScOtland ( MOund 1971) are interpreted as evidence that bicolor interbreeds with ajugae Uzel, the type species Of Oxythrips . These twO species are therefOre presumably clOsely related, and shOuld nOt be placed in separate genera. Studies in China ( Cui et al. 2017) On Chilothrips strobilus , have indicated remarkable variatiOn in the length and shape Of tergite X within a single pOpulatiOn frOm Pinus , frOm abOut 1.2 times as lOng as basal width tO at least 3.0 times. In view Of the many character states shared by species that have been placed in these twO genera, including the shared hOst assOciatiOn with Pinus male cOnes in several species, these twO are here fOrmally synOnymized. As a result, the fOllOwing new combinations are established: Oxythrips hangzhouensis (Hu & Feng) ; Oxythrips jiuxiensis (Mirab-balOu, Chen & TOng); Oxythrips occidentalis (Stannard) ; Oxythrips pini (HOOd); Oxythrips rotrameli (Stannard) ; Oxythrips strobilus (TOng & Zhang); Oxythrips yamatensis (KudO).