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Beyond the Fringe

The Thysanoptera

(Gynaikothrips ficorum, nickybay)

A step deeper into the Paraneoptera are the Thysanoptera: the thrips. There are over 6000 species with a global distribution.

(Frankilothrips sp., glmory / Phlaeothripidae sp., botswanabugs)

You've almost certainly got thrips around you, but you may very well have never seen them, as they typically measure only a few millimeters in length and reside within flowers or amongst detritus. Their mouthparts are notably asymmetrical, only bearing a left mandible, and are adapted for piercing and sucking plant tissues, fungi, and arthropod prey.

(Diagram of thrips' asymmetrical mouthparts, Encyclopedia of Entomology)

Thrips wings are also unusual, bearing a fringe of cilia along their surface (hence Thysanoptera, "fringed wing"). At the minute size of a thrips, the viscous forces of the fluid medium of air begin to impede on the strength of your typical airfoil lift force, so they instead use "clap-and-fling" flight. I unfortunately don't know physics and biomechanics well enough to summarize how it differs from standard insect flight, so here a video of a thrips taking flight instead:

The thrips life cycle is often regarded as being intermediate between a hemimetabolous and holometabolous development. Between their "true" nymphal stages and adult stage, some lineages undergo a "pupal" stage of sorts in which the thrips do not feed and sometimes even spin a silk cocoon in which to develop into their imago. The nymphs and "pupae" still largely resemble smaller versions of the adult as in other hemimetabolous insects, but the intermediate non-feeding stage brings them a step closer to being holometabolous.

(Life history of Franklinella occidentalis, BASF)

Thrips are haplodiploid, like many Hymenopterans, meaning that males half only half a set of chromosomes (haploidy) and develop from unfertilized eggs, while females have the full set of homologous paired chromosomes (diploidy) and develop from fertilized eggs (except in some thelytokous species). The similarity to Hymenopterans doesn't end there: some species of thrips are eusocial and form galls or other constructed domiciles on their plant hosts. In one Australian species, a winged female creates a gall on an Acacia and lays an initial batch of eggs which develop into wingless adults with reduced reproductive capabilities. These "soldiers" defend the gall, where the "queen" produces a further litter of winged reproductive thrips to disperse and form new "colonies". Though primitive compared to many Hymenopterans, this is undoubtedly a eusocial lifestyle.

(Dunatothrips aneurae, Dr. James Gilbert / Domiciles of D. aneurae, Dr. James Gilbert)

Thrips often get a bad reputation, particularly among gardeners and farmers, due to the damage they inflict on crops and the plant viruses they act as vectors for. However, flower-living species also pollinate their host plants, and predatory species help to control mite populations, thus also benefiting plants. It's a shame that many of the top results when searching for thrips online are for pest control and exterminator services. These tiny, underappreciated insects with their unique biology deserve their time in the sun, too.

(Thrips tabaci on a pepper flower, Metin Gulesci)

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In red spruce forests in the Central Appalachians, underground fungi support tree roots. Flying squirrels munch on those fungi and deposit their spores around forests, helping support new tree growth.

Zoe Keller Art (@zoekellerart)

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Eastern Bandy-Bandy (Vermicella annulata), givin’ em the old razzle dazzle (defensive display), family Elapidae, found throughout eastern and northern Australia

Venomous.

photograph by Ken Griffiths

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Today's Seal Is: The Magnificent Mola Mola

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why is it always red bellied woodpeckers doing this

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Today's Seal Is: Big Ass Fish. Just For Me

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girls night

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Green Peafowl or Indonesian Peafowl (Pavo muticus), male, family Phasianidae, found in SE Asia

ENDANGERED.

photograph by Paul Varney

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A snail leech came to my aquarium from a live plant and I couldn't bear to just discard it bc leeches are kinda cool. but as snail leech does it immediately ate two of the snails I added, so BANISHED to the childhood betta tank bc the idea of culling or flushing it makes me sad.

Maybe I'll feed it excess snails once they're breeding?

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I will get there

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Tona

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Some pics of our beautiful Luna 😍💜

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crustaceans wip