Among all insects, thrips are some of the smallest and lesser known. With a size varying between 0.5 to 1.5 millimeters, thin body, and a habit of hiding in minute holes and creeks, it is not a surprise that they are hard to find.

The most remarkable trait of thrips is the presence of fringed wings, common to the more than 6000 described species. This characteristic gives the order Thysanoptera its name (from Greek "thysanos" = fringe, "pteron" = wing). However, this type of wing is not exclusive to Thysanoptera, occurring in other small-bodied insects. The characters exclusive to thrips are the asymmetric mouth parts (instead of having two mandibles, thrips only have the left mandible), and the eversible arolium at the tip of each tarsi (small bladder-like structure which helps thrips in sticking to surfaces).

The different thrips species present a wide variety of feeding habits. The commonly found species are usually phytophagous, feeding in leaves, flowers and fruits of many plant species. Some thrips species are pests in crops such as tomato, onion, garlic, lettuce, ornamental flowers and others. However, the majority of thrips species feed on fungi, being found in dead leaves, tree bark and twigs. There are also a few predatory species, including some that feed in other thrips. Finally, there is a South American genus of ectoparasitic thrips, a unique habit within Thysanoptera.

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This post was originally created for the fan pages of Laboratório de Entomologia Sistemática (LES) from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Reposted here with permission from the authors.

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