Insect order: Thysanoptera

THYSANOPTERA

  • Thrips
  • Small insects, 0.5 to 5 mm long.
  • Four wings, narrow, with few veins, fringed with long hairs.
  • Mouthparts of sucking type, stout conical proboscis (beak).
  • Short antennae, 4-9 segments.
  • Tarsi 1-2 segments.
  • Metamorphosis is intermediate between simple and complete. The first 2 instars have no external wings.
  • The males and females look similar, but males a bit smaller.
  • Several generations in a year.
  • Plant feeders, flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, buds. Few species feed on fungi, few are predaceous.
  • Feeding destroys plant cells, they empty the cells which become silverish in color. If the attack is heavy, plant tissue will turn brown and dry up.
  • Thrips are often vectors of diseases.
  • The order Thysanoptera is divided in 2 suborders:
    • Suborder Terebrantia: ovipositor present, conical tip of abdomen, forewings with seta-bearing veins.
    • Suborder Tubulifera: ovipositor absent, tip of abdomen tubular, forewings without veins.

Families

The order Thysanoptera is divided into a number of families. Only one family is important in agriculture:
  • Thripidae