58 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 



e. — Last segment of abdomen of female conical, not heavily 

 chitinized, seldom stronger than the preceding segments, 

 bristles on segments 9 and 10 not exceedingly long nor 

 stout, never thorn-like. (One of the largest families of 

 the order, containing about 54 genera and 312 recent 

 species, found in all parts of the world ; 11 fossil species. ) 



Family Thripid^ Uzel, 1895. 

 (=Family Stenelytra Haliday, 1836.) 

 (=Stenoptera Burmeister, 1838.) 

 (=Family Stenopteridas Beach, 1896). 

 ee. — Last segment of abdomen of female cylindrical, very 

 heavily chitinized, bristles on segments 9 and 10 excep- 

 tionally long and stout, thorn-like. (3 monotypic recent 

 genera, from India, Porto Rico and Africa. ) 



Family Panch^tothripid^ Bagnall, 1912. 

 (=Subfamily Panchsetothripinx Bagnall, 1912.) 

 dd. — Sixth segment of antenna small, styliform, minute in 

 comparison with the fifth, which is the largest in entire 

 antenna. (One genus of doubtful standing, comprising 

 two recent European species, each of which is known from 

 a single specimen. ) . Family Ceratothripid^ Bagnall, 1912. 

 cc. — Antennae moniliform, eight-segmented, without apical 

 stylus; segments 3 and 4 without sense cones, each with a 

 tympanum-like sense area on dorsum of apex. Pronotum 

 with longitudinal dorsal sutures; anterior and posterior 

 femora greatly enlarged. Abdomen blunt ; ovipositor very 

 weak, probably functionless. (One recent monotypic genus, 

 known only from the United States. ) 



Family Merothripid^ Hood, 1914. 

 IL — Female without ovipositor ; terminal abdominal segment of both 

 sexes always continuous beneath, almost invariably tubular. Wings 

 without pubescence ; fore wing with at most a single, abbreviated, 



median vein Suborder Tubulipera Haliday, 1836. 



(=Suborder Phlceothripoidea Karny, 1907.) 

 f. — Maxillary palpi two-segmented. Antennse seven or 

 eight-segmented. Middle coxee more widely separated 

 than front or hind pairs. Ninth abdominal segment 

 not or rarely longer than 8; terminal abdominal hairs 

 rarely much longer than tube. 



Superfamily Phlceothripoidea nov. 

 g. — Head not produced in front beyond eyes; vertex 

 not sharply conical, rarely prominently overhanging 

 base of antennae. 



h. — Male without a tube-like projection on each 

 side of segment 6 of abdomen. 

 i. — Last abdominal segment not greatly elongate, 

 never three or four times as long as head nor 

 nearly equal in length to abdomen. 



