Heterothripidae

The four extant genera recognised in this family are all from the New World, mainly the Neotropics. If the fossil species listed here are correctly associated, then the family had a wider distribution at an earlier period.

All but three of the Heterothripidae species breed in flowers, often in the flowers of Malpighiaceae (Pereyra & Cavalleri, 2012), but the five species of Aulacothrips are all ectoparasites on various Hemiptera.

Bhatti (2006) recognised a new family, Aulacothripidae, for the genus Aulacothrips.

Ulitzka & Mound (2017) indicated the possibility that Electrothrips, Eocephalothrips, and Protothrips, also Heterothrips nanus, might not be members of the Heterothripidae.

Click to see a list of the 4 extant genera.

Click to see a list of the 3 fossil genera.

Click to see a list of the 90 species.

Click to see a list of the 4 Fossil species.

References

Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1-488.

Bhatti JS (2006) The classification of Terebrantia (Insecta) into families. Oriental Insects 40: 339-375.

Pereyra V & Cavalleri A (2012) The genus Heterothrips in Brazil, with an identification key and seven new species. Zootaxa 3237: 1-23.

Ulitzka M & Mound L (2017) The fossil species Merothrips dietrichi (Schliephake) comb.n. redescribed and transferred from the genus Heterothrips (Thysanoptera). Zootaxa 4231 (4): 573-576.

Genera included

Aulacothrips Hood, 1952

† Electrothrips Bagnall, 1924

† Eocephalothrips Bagnall, 1924

Heterothrips Hood, 1908

Lenkothrips De Santis & Sureda, 1970

† Protothrips Priesner, 1924

Scutothrips Stannard, 1972

Heterothripidae