152 POMONA COLLEGE JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY 



that the presence or absence of spines on the prothorax is not in this case a 

 true generic character, and if this is true, Scirtothrips becomes a very doubtful 

 genus. Scirtothrips was erected with the following diagnostic characters sepa- 

 rating it from *Anaphothrips : "Head is shorter than broad and shorter than 

 prothorax. One spine of moderate length is borne by each posterior angle 

 of the prothorax. Species of this genus have the power of springing." If these 

 three characters were constantly associated, a new genus erected on them 

 would be unquestionable; but A. longipeiuiis shows beyond a doubt that these 

 characters are not constant; this species possesses the spines on the posterior 

 angles or prothorax, but is nonsaltatory, while the head is broader than long 

 and somewhat shorter than prothorax ; consequently, the only diagnostic char- 

 acter left to Scirtothrips is the presence of the saltatory habit, and it is always 

 more or less dangerous to erect a new genus on one character, especially a mere 

 habital character. Whether the power of springing, taken alone, can serve 

 as a generic character, or not, we shall not discuss here. 

 *Ent. News XX, No. 5, p. 222. 



Phyllothrips fasciculata Crawford 



(Pom. Journ. Ent. I, p. 103.) 



Since the genus Phyllothrips is now in synonymy, this species should be 

 known as Liothrips fasciculata; although Leptothrips was erected to replace 

 Phyllothrips, still this species undoubtedly should be included in Liothrips. 



