Preeriella Hood

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 : 216

Preeriella Hood

The 20 species listed in this genus come from various tropical countries ( Fig. 12 ). No species are recorded from Australia, but in ANIC there are unidentified specimens from various rainforest sites in Queensland. These are minute insects that are laterally flattened, not dorso-ventrally flattened as in most Thysanoptera . Although commonly associated with dead branches and leaf-litter, these thrips might be predatory on other small arthropods, because one species has been found commonly on the leaves of Lantana in southern Queensland in association with mites. Specimens that probably represent the related genus, Hyidiothrips , have also been seen from Queensland, but members of that genus have antennal segment III completely fused to segment IV ( Okajima 2006).

Diagnosis. Minute, usually apterous species; head longer than wide, elevated in mid-line, prolonged in front of eyes; postocular setae usually well developed and expanded at apex; stylets usually subparallel; antennae 8- segmented, II with campaniform sensilla at the middle, III short and broad, closely joined to IV, with no sensoria; IV large, with 2 sensoria; pronotum usually with 4 major setae, midlaterals sometimes reduced, notopleural sutures incomplete; basantra weakly present; mesopraesternum reduced; no sternopleural sutures; fore tarsal tooth absent; fore wings, if developed, without duplicated cilia; pelta divided into several plates; tergites III–VII each with one pair of wing retaining setae in macroptera; tube shorter than head, anal setae usually much longer than tube; male sternite VIII without pore plate.

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 18. Phlaeothripinae genera. 8 – 15 antennae: (8) Asemothrips picturatus; (9) Biconothrips reedi; (10) Holothrips oceanicus; (11) Plectrothrips australis; (12) Preeriella sp.; (13) Priesneria peronis; (14) Pygmaeothrips angusticeps; (15) Streptothrips tribulatius. (16) Deplorothrips sp.; (17 – 18) Bocathrips okajimai.