Physemothrips Stannard

Mound, Laurence A., 2011, Grass-dependent Thysanoptera of the family Thripidae from Australia, Zootaxa 3064, pp. 1-40 : 31

Physemothrips Stannard

The first species described in this genus has been taken in large numbers on Macquarie Island, breeding on the leaves of several different species of grasses. A second species was described subsequently from islands south of New Zealand, but there remains a possibility that this is no more than a local variant ( Mound & Walker, 1982). These thrips are wingless, with the head conical in front of the eyes and bearing no ocelli. Females bear two pairs of setae on tergite IX that are unusually stout but do not extend beyond the apex of segment X. Males have a transverse pore plate close to the antecostal ridge on sternites III–VI, and two pairs of thorn-like setae medially on tergite IX.