External Morphology of Thrips

Muhammad Salman34-E

Thrips

Order: Thysanoptera.

Family: Thripidae

Thrips are tiny, slender yellowish brown insects with fringed wings.

Hemimetabolous insects.

Thrips

External Morphology

HeadAntennae MouthpartsEyes

ThoraxWingsLegs

AbdomenAedeagusOvipositorSetae Spiracles

External Morphology of Thrips

External Morphology of Thrips

Head

Thrips External Morphology

Antennae

Antennae relatively short, 4- to 9-segmented.

Bead-like (moniliform) or filiform (in some )

The families of thrips are separated largely by the characters of the antennae, particularly the number of antennal segments and the nature of the sensoria on the third and fourth segments.

Antennae

Moniliform

Antennae

Filiform

Mouthparts

Rasping-Sucking Mouthparts Thrips have asymmetrical mouthparts that are

also unique to the group.  The right mandible of thrips is reduced and

vestigial and in some species completely absent.

The left mandible is larger, and forms a narrow stylet used to pierce the cell wall of tissues.

Some species may then inject digestive enzymes as the maxillary stylets and hypopharynx are inserted into the opening to drain cellular fluids.

Mouthparts

This process leaves a distinctive silvery or bronze scarring on the surfaces of the stems or leaves where the thrips feed.

Eyes

Thrips has Compound Eyes.

Compound Eyes

Thorax

Thrips External Morphology

Wings

Two Pairs Strippy type. The wings are modified into strips or rod-

like structures & fringed with long hair.

Strap-like two pairs of wings nearly equal, and are very thin with little venation and a lot of hairs making a fringe around the edge, which is why they were named Thysanoptera.

Wings

Wings

Wings

Legs

All Three pairs are Ambulatory or Walking legs.

Tarsi 1-2-segmented, with 1-2 claws and are bladder-like at the end.

Legs

All pairs are Abmbulatory or walking legs

Legs

Abdomen

Thrips External Morphology

Abdomen

The abdomen is elongated and generally flattened dorso-ventrally, especially in the Tubulifera (Sub-order).

There are 10 distinctive segments with a rudiment of the 11th.

Aedeagus

The male genital organs are composed of paired appendages and an unpaired copulatory organ (aedeagus), all of which retract into the abdomen.

The paired testes and accessory glands with their ducts occur in the posterior half of the abdomen.

Aedeagus

Male Thrips

Aedeagus

Aedeagus

Aedeagus

Ovipositor

The female usually has an ovipositor composed of two pairs of sawlike blades.

There are eight egg sacs (ovarioles) and spherical, often pigmented, seminal receptacle for storage of sperm acquired during mating.

Ovipositor

Ovipositor

Ovipositor

Ovipositor

Setae

Often in the Tubulifera, several setae on the back are S-shaped and hook into the wing fringes to hold the wings at rest.

Setae

Spiracles

The first and eighth abdominal segments of Thrips bear breathing holes called Spiracles.

References Lewis Judson Stannard. Jr, Thrips, 2013,

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/594043/thrips/39621/The-adult

Anonymous, Thysanoptera Thrips, 2013, http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Thysanoptera

Drees & Jackman, Order Thysanoptera – Thrips, 2013, http://bugguide.net/node/view/7754

Anonymous, Thrips, 2013, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips#Characteristics

John R. Meyer, Thysanoptera Thrips, 2013, http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/library/compendium/thysanoptera.html

Dr. Alton Stormy Sparks. Jr, Thrips, 2013, http://www.ent.uga.edu/veg/solanaceous/thrips.htm

THE END

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