Zoological Systematics, 39(3): 313–358 (July 2014), DOI: 10.11865/zs20140301 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Key to the fungus-feeder Phlaeothripinae species from China (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) Li-Hong Dang1, 2, Ge-Xia Qiao1* 1 Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China 2 Bio-resources Key Laboratory of Shaanxi Province, School of Biological Sciences & Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723000, China * Corresponding author, E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract In China, 31 genera and 95 species of fungivorous Phlaeothripinae are recorded here, of which 7 species are newly recorded and illustrated. An illustrated identification key to the 94 species is also provided, together with the information of specimens examined, and distribution of each species. Key words Key, Phlaeothripinae, fungus-feeder, China. 1 Introduction In the subfamily Phlaeothripinae, three groups, Haplothrips-lineage, Liothrips-lineage and Phlaeothrips-lineage, are recognized (Mound & Marullo, 1996). Among them, the first group was treated as the tribe Haplothripini subsequently by Mound and Minaei (2007) that includes all of the flower-living Phlaeothripinae; the second group, Liothrips-lineage was defined as the leaf-feeding Phlaeothripinae. Almost half of Thysanoptera species are fungivorous (Morse & Hoddle, 2006), in which about 1 500 species are from Phlaeothripinae (ThirpsWiki, 2014). In contrast to about 700 species of Idolothripinae ingesting fungal spores with broad maxillary stylets, fungivorous Phlaeothripinae are feeding on fungal hyphae (Mound & Palmer, 1983; Tree et al., 2010; Mound, 2004). All fungivorous Phlaeothripinae belong to the third group, Phlaeothrips-lineage, which is usually collected from dead branches, leaves, wood or leaf-litter.