June, '0<)| ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 249 



A new Genus and a new Species of North Ameri- 



can Phloeothripidae (Thysanoptera). 



BY J. DOUGLAS HOOD, Urbana, Illinois. 



Genus LEPTOTHRIPS nov. 



narrow ; 



Body unusually slender. Head long, narrow, nearly twice 

 as long as broad, widest across eyes, narrowed at base. Eyes 

 finely faceted, prominent, bulging, projecting beyond the gen- 

 eral outline of the head. Vertex elevated, conspicuously pro- 

 longed, overhanging the insertion of the antennae, and bear- 

 ing the anterior ocellus at its extremity. Mouth cone moder- 

 ately short, about as long as its breadth at base, reaching 

 nearly across prosternum; labrum subacute. Antennae eight- 

 segmented; sense cones small, weak. Prothorax about half 

 as long as head; spines short, blunt, scarcely visible; mid- 

 laterals wanting. Legs slender ; fore femora not enlarged ; 

 tarsi unarmed in both sexes. Wings slender, not very closely 

 fringed, distinctly narrowed at middle. Abdomen long and 

 slender, about three and one-half times as long as wide. 



Type : Cryptothrips aspersus Hinds. In this genus will 

 also be placed a new species from Madeira, soon to be de- 

 scribed by Mr. R. S. Bagnall. 



From Liothrips Uzel, which should precede it in a linear 

 arrangement of the genera, and in which should be placed the 

 three North American species, L. ( ?) ocellatus m., Phyllothrips 

 citricornis m. and P. umbripcnnis m. Leptothrips may easily 

 be distinguished by the much slenderer form, the longer 

 head, the more bulging eyes, the shorter mouth cone, and the 

 weaker, slenderer wings, which are distinctly narrowed at 

 middle. Furthermore, in five species of Liothrips which I 

 have had the opportunity to examine, the double fringe on 

 the hind margin of the fore wings consists in every case of 

 about thirteen hairs, while in Leptothrips aspersus the num- 

 ber never exceeds seven. It might also be added that the lat- 

 ter is much more difficult to mount satisfactorily, the legs and 

 antennae almost always tending to assume some awkward 



