Phylogeny of thrips (Insecta: Thysanoptera) based on five molecular loci

The order Thysanoptera (Paraneoptera), commonly known as thrips, displays a wide range of behaviours, and includes several pest species. The classification and suggested relationships among these insects remain morphologically based, and have never been evaluated formally with a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis. We tested the monophyly of the suborders, included families and the recognized subfamilies, and investigated their relationships. Phylogenies were reconstructed based upon 5299 bp from five genetic loci: 18S ribosomal DNA, 28S ribosomal DNA, Histone 3, Tubulin‐alpha I and cytochrome oxidase c subunit I. Ninety‐nine thrips species from seven of the nine families, all six subfamilies and 70 genera were sequenced. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses all strongly support a monophyletic Tubulifera and Terebrantia. The families Phlaeothripidae, Aeolothripidae, Melanthripidae and Thripidae are recovered as monophyletic. The relationship of Aeolothripidae and Merothripidae to the rest of Terebrantia is equivocal. Molecular data support previous suggestions that Aeolothripidae or Merothripidae could be a sister to the rest of Terebrantia. Four of the six subfamilies are recovered as monophyletic. The two largest subfamilies, Phlaeothripinae and Thripinae, are paraphyletic and require further study to understand their internal relationships.     

The genus Antillothrips Stannard, with descriptions of two new species (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)

Abstract. The genus Antillothrips Stannard ( Elatea Faure, syn.n.) is redefined with a key to the ten species: australis sp.n.; exastis (Ananthakrishnan & Kudo) stat.n. comb.n.; cingulatus (Hood) (= Haplothrips (Hindsiana) sakimurai Moulton syn.n.; Xenothrips opacus Ananthakrishnan & Kudo syn.n.); graminellus Ananthakrishnan & Jagadish; hartwigi sp.n.; malabaricus (Ananthakrishnan); micropterus Pitkin; nayari (Ananthakrishnan); stannmdi (Faure) comb.n.; varius (Ananthakrishnan & Jagadish). Lectotypes are designated for opacus and exastis.     

Species composition and structure of Thysanoptera communities in different microhabitats at the Parque Estadual de Itapu?, Viam?o, RS.

Although thrips are known as inhabitants of flowers, they are also abundant and diverse in other microhabitats. There is an information gap concerning them, especially related to the native fauna in southern Brazil. The structure and composition of the thysanopteran community in different microhabitats was studied at the "Parque Estadual de Itapu?" (30 degrees 22' S 51 degrees 02' W), RS, southern Brazil. Between June 1999 and May 2001, branches (n = 1,274), flowers (n = 774), grass tussocks (n = 596) and leaf litter (n = 603) were sampled systematically in 20 points of four trails (T1 - Pedreira beach, T2 - Ara?á beach, T3 - Lagoinha, and T4 - Grota hill). We found 2,197 adult thrips determined in 73 species in 41 genera, of which 37 could be nominated. Four families are represented, Thripidae, Phlaeothripidae, Heterothripidae and Merothripidae, with the first the most abundant (N = 1,599) and with the highest species richness (S = 32). The highest thrips abundance occurred in flowers N = 1,224 and the highest number of exclusive species occurred in the leaf litter (27). Frankliniella rodeos Moulton, 1933, Frankliniella gemina Bagnall, 1919 and Smicrothrips particula Hood, 1952 comprise 49.4% of the total sampled. Regarding T2, we obtained the highest abundance (N = 935) and highest species richness (S = 43). The composition of the faunas in each kind of environment proved very particular.     

Modern thrips families Thripidae and Phlaeothripidae in Early Cretaceous amber (Insecta: Thysanoptera)

Two specimens of Thysanoptera with forked sensilla on third and fourth antennal segments were described from the Lebanese Neocomian and the Spanish Albian ambers, and attributed to the new genus Tethysthrips n. gen. in the family Thripidae Stevens 1829. One specimen with a tubular tenth abdominal segment was also discovered in the Lebanese Neocomian amber, and attributed to the new genus Rohrthrips n. gen. belonging to the family Phlaeothripidae Uzel 1895. Thripidae and Phlaeothripidae are nowadays the most species-rich families of Thysanoptera. The present discoveries of Early Cretaceous fossils show how diversified these families and thrips already were at that time. Moreover, this tubuliferan Rohrthrips specimen has plesiomorphies no longer present in the recent genera, in particular on the wings. Therefore it brings new insight in the evolution of Tubulifera.     

Thysanoptera of the genus Dichromothrips on Old World Orchidaceae

Species of Dichromothrips are shown to be widespread on Orchidaceae in the Old World Tropics from Africa to New Zealand. The centre of diversity appears to be the Malaysian Region but this may be an artefact resulting from poor collections. The genus is redefined, its relationships discussed and a key provided to the 14 species [ australiae sp. nov., borneensis (Pr.); corbetti (Pr.); dendrobii Saki.; indicus sp. nov.; maori sp. nov._; nakahari sp. nov._; nigeriae sp. nov.; orchidis Pr.; phalaenopsidis Saki. (= sakimurai Bhatti syn.nov.); priesneri (Hood); semicognitus Saki.; smithi (Zimm.)j via torus sp. nov.|. Eugeneothrips Hood is synonymised with Dichromothrips.     

中国新记录属——梯背蓟马属记述（缨翅目：蓟马科)

记述中国缨翅目蓟马科1新记录属:梯背蓟马属Tenothrips Bhatti和1新记录种:变色梯背蓟马T. discolor (Karny, 1907)。研究标本保存在浙江大学昆虫研究所标本馆。     

Comprehensive phylogeny of the Cleroidea (Coleoptera: Cucujiformia)

The first thorough molecular phylogeny of the superfamily Cleroidea, represented by 377 taxa, and the first with an emphasis on Trogossitidae, was undertaken. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses were performed on a four‐gene dataset (18S, 28S, cox1, cytb) of 395 taxa (along with 18 outgroups), including all 16 currently recognized families of Cleroidea and all current and formerly recognized tribes of Trogossitidae. The superfamily as a whole received strong support in Bayesian analyses. On the basis of phylogenetic results, 18 families in Cleroidea are recognized, including three taxa elevated to family for the first time and two reinstated families. The former tribe Rentoniini (Trogossitidae: Peltinae) was strongly supported as a monophyletic group apart from the remainder of Trogossitidae, and is herein elevated to family status, Rentoniidae stat.n. Protopeltis was also found to be an isolated lineage and becomes Protopeltidae stat.n. Peltini + Larinotini were recovered as a weakly supported sister grouping; Peltini (including only Peltis) becomes Peltidae stat.rest. The trogossitid subfamily Lophocaterinae, to the exclusion of Decamerini, formed a clade which is here designated Lophocateridae stat.rest. and sensu n. The Trogossitinae tribes Calityini, Egoliini (represented by Egolia) and Larinotini were recovered apart from core Trogossitidae but showed no strong affinities to other taxa or congruence between analyses; they are here conservatively retained in Trogossitidae as Calityinae stat.rest. , Egoliinae stat.rest. and Larinotinae stat.rest. The genus Thymalus of the peltine tribe Thymalini was indicated with moderate to strong support as the sister group of the Decamerini (Trogossitidae: Lophocaterinae); together these represent Thymalidae stat.n. and sensu n. with subfamilies Decamerinae stat.rest. ( new placement ) and Thymalinae stat.n. The remainder of Trogossitinae, the tribes Trogossitini and Gymnochilini, formed a well‐supported clade which comprises the Trogossitidae: Trogossitinae sensu n. The tribe Gymnochilini syn.n. is synonymized with Trogossitini. The monotypic family Phloiophilidae was recovered, contradicting a recent placement within Trogossitidae. The melyrid lineage was recovered with moderate (maximum likelihood) to strong (Bayesian analyses) support and includes the families Phycosecidae, Rhadalidae, Mauroniscidae, Prionoceridae and Melyridae (including Dasytidae and Malachiidae). The genus Dasyrhadus is tentatively transferred from Rhadalidae to Mauroniscidae. The genus Gietella, once proposed as a distinct family but recently placed within Dasytidae, was recovered as strongly sister to Rhadalidae sensu n. , and we transfer it to that family as Gietellinae new placement . Attalomiminae (formerly Attalomimidae) syn.n. is synonymized with Melyridae: Malachiinae: Lemphini sensu n. Melyridae sensu n. includes only Dasytinae, Malachiinae and Melyrinae. Metaxina is returned to the Chaetosomatidae sensu n. , of which Metaxinidae syn.n. becomes a junior synonym. Resolution within Cleridae was generally poor, but a broadly defined Korynetinae stat rest. + Epiclininae received high support (Bayesian analyses). Outside of Trogossitidae, the main focus of this study, major rearrangements of the classification of Cleroidea were not undertaken, despite evidence indicating such changes are needed.     

The West Indian species of Encyrtidae described by L. D. Howard, 1894 and 1897 (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea)

Abstract. The following species of encyrtids described by Howard (1894, 1897) from St Vincent and Grenada are redescribed or dealt with in some other way. The current generic placements and synonymies are indicated in parentheses. Archinus occupants (Archinus), Aphycus amoenus (Metaphycus comb.n.), Aratus scutellatus (= brasiliensis Subba Rao syn.n., Zeteticontus), Blastothrix insolitus ( Anagyrus comb .n. ), Bothriothorax insularis (Zeteticontus), Cerchysius terebratus (Anagyrus), Cerchysius pulchricornis (Anagyrus), Chieloneurus funiculus (= cupreicollis Ashmead syn.n., Cheiloneurus), Cheiloneurus nigrescens (= longisetaceus De Santis syn.n., Cheiloneurus), Copidosoma diversicomis (Apoanagyrus comb.n.), Encyrtus argentipes (Zaomma), Encyrtus crassus (= Encyrtus gargaris Walker syn.n. = Giraultella lopesi Costa Lima & Ferreira syn. n, Coelopencyrtus comb.n.), Encyrtus conformis (Encyrtus), Encyrtus convexus (= Encyrtus nitidus (Howard) syn. n.), Encyrtus flaviclavus (Encyrtus), Encyrtus hirtus (Hunterellus comb.n.), Encyrtus moderatus (= Adelencyrtus femoralis Compere & Annecke syn. n. = Adelencyrtus miyarai Tachikawa syn. n., Adelencyrtus comb.n.), Encyrtus nitidus (= Protyndarichus proximus De Santis syn. n., Protyndarichus comb.n.), Encyrtus quadricolor (Encyrtus), Encyrtus rotundiformis (Psyllaephagus comb.n.), Encyrtus sordidus (Forcipestricis comb.n.), Encyrtus submetallicus (Ooencyrtus), Habrolepoidea glauca (Habrolepoidea) and Homalopoda cristata (Homalopoda). Xiphomastix De Santis is synonymized with Anagyrus Howards (syn. n.), both included species ( X. nigriceps De Santis and X. bellator De Santis) being transferred to the latter. Propsyllaephagus Blanchard is synonymized with Psyllaephagus Ashmead (syn.n), Aratiscus laevigatus De Santis is transferred to Zeteticontus Silvestri (comb n.) and a key to the South American species of the genus is provided.