Ecacanthothrips Bagnall

(Figs 12, 130)

Ecacanthothrips Bagnall, 1909: 348 . Type species: Acanthothrips sanguineus Bagnall, by monotypy, synonym of Idolothrips tibialis Ashmead, 1905: 20 .

There are 11 species included in this genus, all from Asia but with one species introduced to Africa (Palmer & Mound 1978). Three are recorded from China, two from Malaysia, two from the Philippines, and one each from Borneo, Thailand, the Philippines, and New Guinea. These fungus-feeding species share many character states with Hoplandrothrips species, but have very large, and usually multiple, sensoria on the third antennal segment (Fig. 12).

Diagnosis: Head as long as wide or much longer (Fig. 130), cheeks usually with stout setae; postocular setae long; stylets long and retracted to eyes, close together medially; antennae 8-segmented, III usually with at least 6 stout sensoria (Fig. 12), IV with 4; pronotum usually with 5 pairs of major setae; notopleural sutures complete; basantra absent; mesopresternum usually eroded medially and divided into three; sternopleural sutures present; fore tarsi present in both sexes, fore femur usually with pair of apical tubercles in male (Fig. 130); fore femur sometimes with median tooth at inner margin in both sexes (Fig. 130); fore wings weakly constricted medially, with duplicated cilia; pelta triangular or bell-shaped; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae, often with several accessory wing-retaining setae; tube shorter than head, anal setae a little shorter than tube; male sternite VIII without pore plates.