Sophiothrips

Head and pronotum of Sophiothrips sp., from Mound & Marullo (1996).

Belongs within: Williamsiellina.

Sophiothrips are minute thrips found on dead twigs or leaf litter.

Characters (from Mound & Marullo 1996): Antennae with eight segments, segment III usually with two sense cones (occasionally one or sense cones absent); maxillary stylets exceptionally short, restricted to mouth cone; epimeral sutures completes, prosternal basantra small; fore tarsal claw large in male but smaller (rarely absent) in female; species strongly sexually dimorphic.

<==Sophiothrips Hood 1933 [incl. Bagnalliola, Nanimothrips, Nanothrips, Zaxenothrips] MM96
    |--*S. squamosus Hood 1933 MM96
    |--S. bicolor Watson & Preer 1939 MM96
    |--S. comptus Hood 1956 MM96
    |--S. panamensis Hood 1933 MM96
    |--S. peculiaris (Crawford 1943) [=Zaxenothrips peculiaris] MM96
    |--S. politus Hood 1956 MM96
    |--S. spadix Hood 1954 MM96
    |--S. unicolor Hood 1939 MM96
    |--S. verrucosus Hood 1956 MM96
    `--S. vorticosus Hood 1954 MM96

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[MM96] Mound, L. A., & R. Marullo. 1996. The thrips of Central and South America: an introduction (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1-487.