Thrips
Thysanoptera
Classification
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Thysanoptera
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Thysanoptera: /θaɪsəˈnɒptərə/
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Summary
Thrips (order Thysanoptera) are small, fringed-wing insects notable for their unique feeding techniques and diverse ecological roles. Significant for their agricultural impact, they can act as both pests and pollinators.
Physical Characteristics
Thrips are small insects, typically 0.5 to 14 mm long, with elongated, cigar-shaped bodies and characteristic fringed wings. Their mouthparts are asymmetrical, with the right mandible being vestigial or absent. Antennae are relatively short, and legs usually end in two tarsal segments with bladder-like tips known as arolia.
Identification Tips
Identification to species can be challenging due to variability and maintenance of type specimens. Look for distinctive wing fringe, body shape, and asymmetrical mouthparts as key identification features.
Habitat
Thrips are generally found on soft living plant tissues, including flowers and leaves; some species inhabit leaf litter or dead wood. Larval stages may be found in soil or among plant tissue.
Distribution
Approximately 260 species in California and 275 species in Georgia and Florida. Globally, around 6,230 described species across over 780 genera, divided into two suborders: Tubulifera and Terebrantia.
Diet
Plant-feeding thrips typically feed on green leaf tissues and pollen. A significant number are fungivorous, feeding on fungi, while a few are predatory on other insects or mites.
Life Cycle
Thrips undergo hemimetabolous metamorphosis, with eggs laid in plant tissue. There are 5-6 larval stages, with the last 2 larval stages and pupal stages being non-feeding. The adult stage can be reached in about 8-15 days, and adults might live up to 45 days.
Reproduction
Females lay eggs in plant tissue or on plant surfaces, with some species retaining eggs internally. Many species exhibit haplodiploidy, where unfertilized eggs produce haploid males and fertilized eggs produce diploid females.
Predators
Predatory thrips feed on small insects and mites, while some species of Hymenoptera target thrips during their life stages.
Ecosystem Role
Thrips play crucial roles in ecosystems as pollinators and as fungivores, redistributing fungal spores. They also serve as prey for various insectivorous animals.
Economic Impact
Several thrips species are pests of commercially important crops and can transmit viral plant diseases, notably tospoviruses, making them significant in agriculture.
Health Concerns
Thrips can give a mild bite; however, they do not feed on blood, and no known animal diseases are transmitted by thrips, although they may cause minor skin irritation when they bite.
Collecting Methods
- Sweep netting
- Plant traps
- Visual inspection of plants
- Sticky traps
Preservation Methods
- Ethanol preservation
- Pinned specimens
- Slide mounts for microscopic examination
Evolution
Thrips are believed to have descended from fungus-feeding ancestors during the Mesozoic period. The order Thysanoptera was named in 1836 by Alexander Henry Haliday. Fossils date back to the Permian period, with true thrips becoming more abundant by the Early Cretaceous.
Misconceptions
The term 'thrip' as a singular form of thrips is incorrect; 'thrips' serves as both singular and plural.
Tags
- thrips
- Thysanoptera
- insects
- agricultural pests
- pollinators