Distribution patterns of Thripidae (Thysanoptera: Terebrantia) diversity and environmental determinants in China

Thripidae, a member of the order Thysanoptera, has more than 2,200 existing species in the world. Many species of this family are economic pests for agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, whereas the distribution patterns of species diversity at large spatial scales remain poorly understood. We studied the species diversity of Thripidae and the distribution patterns of this family in China, as well as its environmental determinants and geographic determinants, on the basis of 376 species. As a result, 76 endemic species were examined, and Dendrothripinae has the highest percentage of endemic species among 4 subfamilies. The distribution patterns of Thripidae in China are mainly in the Oriental realm; only a few were distributed in the Palaearctic realm. High species richness was concentrated in the South China region, Southwest region, and Central China region. Six of 19 environmental factors were obtained for the relation between species richness and environmental factors. Our study showed that the species distributions of Thripidae in China were mainly influenced by monthly mean diurnal temperature range, Isothermality, SD of temperature seasonal change, Precipitation of the driest month, Precipitation of the wettest month, and Precipitation variation coefficient. The linear relationship between longitude, latitude of the distribution of Thripidae species, and climate factors were explored. Our study analyzed the diversity and distribution of Thripidae in China and provided basic data support for evolutionary biology and conservation of biodiversity.