Diagnosis Body mainly brown; base of femora, apical half of tibiae and all tarsi yellow; antennomeres III–V yellow or bicolored; fore wings mainly brown with a paler basal area. Head and pronotum strongly reticulate, without internal markings. Antennae 8-segmented, III & IV with simple sense cones. Mesothoracic spinula long, metathorax without spinula. Metanotum with a pair or robust median setae, placed slightly behind anterior margin. First setal row on fore wings complete, second row without setae. Abdominal tergites II–VII reticulated laterally, usually without microtrichia; II–VIII with one pair of long and close together median setae; VIII with a comb of microtrichia on posterior margin. Both sexes macropterous.
Male not observed.
Intraspecific variation Some specimens may have 2 or 3 microtrichia laterally on abdominal tergites IV–VI.
Genus and similar species information The genus Echinothrips includes seven species, found from North America to southern South America. All of them have the head and pronotum strongly reticulate but differ from Panchaetothripinae in having a well-developed mesothoracic spinula. Echinothrips mexicanus can be distinguished from E. americanus for having the head and pronotal sculpture without internal markings; and it is distinct from E. caribeanus for lacking well-developed groups of microtrichia laterally on abdominal tergites IV–VI. A key to Echinothrips species is given by Mound & Marullo (1996).
Distribution around the world Described from Mexico, and recorded in Brazil, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala and Honduras.
