Generic diagnosis

Female macropterous or micropterous. Head longer than wide, projecting in front of eyes; maxillary palps 3-segmented; eyes without pigmented facets; ocellar setae I absent, III longer than II; five pairs of unusually long postocular setae, II and IV posterior to row. Antennae 7-segmented, segment I without paired dorso-apical setae, III and IV with forked sense cones; III–VI with microtrichia on both surfaces. Pronotum wider than long, with two pairs of well-developed posteroangular setae. Mesonotum with median setae near middle; anterior campaniform sensilla present. Metanotum with weak reticulation medially, median setae behind anterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent. Fore wing (if present) first vein with wide gap, 8–9 basal setae and 4 distal setae; second vein with complete row; clavus with 3(5) veinal and one discal setae; posteromarginal fringe cilia wavy. Prosternal ferna usually undivided; basantra membranous and without setae. Mesosternum and metasternum endofurca both without spinula. Tarsi 2-segmented. Tergites without ctenidia or craspeda, setae S3 to S5 on tergites III–V arranged in a straight line, S4 posterior to S5; tergite VIII with almost complete comb; IX with anterior campaniform sensilla present; X with median split complete. Sternites without discal setae, III–VII with three pairs of posteromarginal setae, II with two pairs.

Relationship data

Thripidae sub-family Thripinae: this is a diverse group involving more than 230 genera. Although similar in appearance to species of Taeniothrips, the single species in Smilothrips is unusual in lacking a spinula on both the meso and metafurca, and in having the head projecting in front of the eyes and bearing a series of unusually long postocular setae.

Biological data

Nothing is known of the biology, but the species is possibly associated with grasses.

Distribution data

Described from a single female collected in northern India, this species has also been taken in Sichuan and Yunnan, China.

Nomenclatural data

Smilothrips Bhatti, 1976: 324. Type species Smilothrips productus Bhatti, 1976, by monotypy.

The single species that is recognised in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2018) is also recorded from China:

productus Bhatti, 1976: 325.

References

Mirab-balou, M.Yang, S. Tong, X. 2013. A newly recorded genus Smilothrips Bhatti (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in China. Entomotaxonomia 35: 179–184.