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Thysanoptera

Introduction

The insects included under order Thysanoptera, popularly known as thrips or fringe-wings or bladder-footed insects, are one of the smallest of pterygote insects, ranging in size from 0.5 mm to 10 mm. They possess remarkable structural peculiarities having fringe-wings, asymmetrical feeding apparatus with right mandible vestigial and a protrusible bladder at the end of tarsi. The order Thysanoptera received little attention in the past by entomologists, possibly because of its minute size and unattractive colouration. In recent years however, thrips have assumed considerable importance as pests of variety of crops of agricultural and horticultural importance and some species are carriers of viral diseases to a few commercial and food crops. Most of them are phytophagous, remaining others are mycophagous feeding on spores and fungal hyphae, and a few are predaceous feeding on other thrips, mites, whiteflies and coccids.

Classification

Haliday (1836) raised Thysanoptera to an order level, which included two suborders Terebrantia and Tubulifera. In a most recent classification Mound, Heming &Palmer (1980) have recognised 8 families as follows: Sub-Thysanoptera Suborder Terebrantia Family Uzelothripidae Mcrotluipidae Aeolothripidae Adiheterothripidae Fauriellidae Hetcrothripidar. Thripidae Suborder Tubulifcra Family Phlaeothripidae

Historical Resume

i) Pre-1900

The first ever work on Indian Thysanoptera dates back to 1856 when Newman described two new species of Tubulifera, Phlaeothrips anacardii and ldolothrips halidayi from Mysore.

ii) 1901-1947

The studies on Indian Thysanoptera began rather late compared to other group of insects. The contributions of Bagnall (1913-1926), Hood (1919), Moulton (1927-1929) Ramakrishna Ayyar (1925-1935); Ramakrishna Ayyar &Margabandhu (1931-1939) and Shumsher (1942-1947) made the foundatioQ of thrips studies in India, paving the way for extensive work later. Kieffer (1908) described one new gall fonning species. Bagnall (1913a, 1913b, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1918a, 1918b, 1919, 1921a, 1921b, 1923, 1924a, 1924b and 1926) publisb.ed a series of papers, mostly in Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. and added 35 new species. Vuillet (1914) described one new species. Williams (1915) ~escribed one new species, Stenchaetothrips biformis (Bagnall) [=Thrips oryzae Williams], considered to be a very serious pest of rice in whole of South East Asia. Hood (1919) described 5 new species. Karny (1926) published the fIrst comprehensive account of Indian Thysanoptera and described 19 new species. Ramakrishna Ayyar is the pioneer worker on Indian Thysanoptera, who started exhaustive collection of thrips and used to send the material to specialists abroad for identification and thus, built up the first reference collection of thrips in India. Also he himself contributed a number of papers in (1925, 1932, 1934, 1935) and described 10 new species.

Finally in (1928), he published the monograph of Indian Thysanoptera in which he has provided morphology, life history, key to genera and species, besides describing 26 new species, and thus recorded altogether 126 species from India. Moulton (1927, 1928, 1929a, 1929b) described 11 new species. Ramakrishna Ayyar and Margabandhu (1931, 1935, 1939a, 1939b) described 25 new species. Priesner (1935) described one new species. Ramakrishna Ayyar.and Margabandhu.(1940) compiled the catalogue of Indian Thysanoptera where 232 species under 94 genera.have been recorded. Shumsher Singh (1942, 1944, 1947) described 5 species, and finally in 1945 published the monograph of the Suborder Terebrantia, where he has provided the key to the genera and species; described 2 new genera, 6 new species and recorded altogether 105 species.

iii) 1948-1990

The significant contributions on Indian Thysanoptera were made during this period. The-knowledge on the group has been greatly enriched by the contributions of Ananthakrishnan (1949¬1990) and Bhatti (1961-1990), the two very eminent authorities on this group. Priesner (1952) added 6-new species. Priesner and Seshadri (1952) added 3 new species. Margabandhu and Ananthakrishna (1953) in the supplement to the catalogue recorded 37 species (Thripidae 27 species; Phlaeothripidae -10 species). Seshadri and Ananthakrishna (1954) described 7 new species.

Ananthakrishnan conducted intensive survey with special emphasis to South India, and built up a good'reference collection of Indian and foreign species. Although Ananthakrishnan worked on the whole order in the beginning, subsequently he concentrated mostly on the suborder Tubulifera. Ananthakrishnan (1949-1990) published a large number of papers and altogether described 55 new genera and 179 new species, besides recording a number of species and genera for the fJIst time from India. Ananthakrishnan and Jagadish (1966-1971) in a number of papers described 54 species. Ananthakrishnan and his other collaborators: Kudo (1974), Muraleedharan (1974), Swaminathan (1980), Varadarasan (1978), Viswanathan (1975) have brought to light another 14 species. Ananthakrishnan (1963) revised the Indo-Ceylonese Terebrantia and published the monograph of Indian Tubulifera (1964). He (1969) published the book, Indian Thysanoptera, in which he has dealt with morophology, bionomics, polymorphism and provided a key to genera &list of valid species.

Ananthakrishnan and Sen (1980) published a Hand Book on Taxonomy ofIndian Thysanoplera, where they have provided the taxonomic criteria, keys to families, subfamilies, genera and species, analysis of distribution and host -plants of various species, and recorded altogether 248 genera and 647 species (Aeolothripidae -18 species; Merothripidae -3 species; Heterothripidae -2 species; Thripidae -237 species; Phlaeothripidae -387 species).

Bhatti began his studies on thrips in the Zoological Survey of India, Desert Regional Station, and Central Regional Station at Jodhpur &Jabalpur, and after leaving ZSI he worked at Hans Raj College, Delhi. Bhatti.concentrated his studies mostly on the suborder Terebrantia. He (1961-1990) published a number of papers and described altogether 29 genera and 90 species, besides studying a •number of genera, the details of which were dealt in reviSionary studies. Bhatti and Hatter (1974) described one new species, and Bhatti and Ananthakrishnan (1975, 1978) added 4 new species. Stannard and Mitri (1962) described one new species and Stannard (1970) added one new species. Wilson (1972) added «;>ne; Pitkin (1976) added one; Okajima (1981, 1987) described four and Kulshrestha &Vijay Veer (1984) described two new species.

In the Zoological Survey of India, the studies of thrips were taken up by Sen and Muraleedharan who concentrated on thrips of North-Eastern India. Sen (1976, 1977, 1978), Sen & Muraleedharan (1977), Muraleedharan (1982), Muraleedharan &Sen (1978, 1981a, 1981b) described 2 new genera and 22 new species. Sen et a1. (1988) compiled a monograph on lbysanoptera Fauna of 'North-Eastern India recording 105 species under 65 genera. Sen (1980) studied thrips from Andaman Islands and described two new species, and (1982) studied thrips fauna from Silent Valley, Kerala and added 2 new species. Sen, Pramanik &Sengupta have studied the lbysanoptera fauna ofWest Bengal, which is under publication.

Lakshminarayan (1962) studied thrips collection from Western and Southern India. Varshney (1970) studied thrips fauna of Shillong (Meghalaya). Thakur et ale (19738, 1973b) studied thrips of Solan (Himachal Pradesh). Rao &Kamble (1975) studied thrips of Marathawade (Maharashtra). Jagadish &Ananthakrishnan (1972) studied the second, instar larvae of some Indian.Terebrantia and provided a key to genera David and Ananthakrishnan (1973) studied the second instar larvae of Indian gall thrips and provided a key to genera.

Revisionary studies on a number of genera were under taken in this period the details ,of which are as follows: Bhatti (1964) studied the genus Aeolothrips (Family Aeolotbripidae). Bhatti &Ananthakrishnan (1975) studied the genus Merothrips (Family Merothripidae). Under the family Tbripidae, Sakimura &Ananthakrishnan .(1962) have revised the Indian species of Chaetanaphothrips; Ananthakrishnan &Jagadish (1966, 1967a, 1967b) studied the genera Thrips, Chloethrips, and Taeniothrips; Bhatti (1968-1982) studied the genera Helionoehrips, Megalurothrips, Dendrothrips, Caliothrips, Ascirtothrips, Projectothrips, Caprithrips, Exothrips, Perissothrips, Sericothrips and Anaphothrips of the Oriental Region; Mound (1976) stodied Dichromothrips on old world Orchidaceae; Mound &Palmer (1981) studied pest species of Scirtothrips; Pitkin (1977) revised the genus Chaetanaphothrips; Wilson (1975) published the monograph of Panchaetothripinae of the world; Vijay Veer &Chauhan (1983) studied the genus Arathrips. Under the family Phlaeothripidae, Ananthakrishnan (1969-1976) studied the genera Polyphemothrips, Lee'uwenia, Nesothrips, Stigmothrips, Elaphrothrips, Mesothrips, Crotonothrips; Ananthakrishnan &Kudo (1974) revised the genus Xenothrips; Ananthakrishnan &Muraleedharan (1974) studied the Gynaikothrips -Liophlaeothrips -Uothrips complex; Mound (1972, 1974) studied the genus Allothrips and spore feeding Nesothrips complex; Mound and Palmer (1983) studied the generic and tribal classification of spore-feeding Idolothripinae; Ritchie (1974) stu4ied the genus Podothrips; Pitkin (1976) studied the Indian 'species of Haplothrips, Antillothrips and Xylaplothrips. Haga (1975) studied the genus Pyrgothrips and provided a key to species of world. Okajima (1979, 1987) studied the genera ApelaW!Othrips and old world species of Holothrips; Okajima (1981) revised the fungus feeding tribe Plectrothripini.

Studies from Different Environs

Mycophagous thrips : Ananthakrishnan (1969-1972) published the serial publication Mycophagous Thysanoptera Parts I-IV and gave a comprehensive account (1973)'dealing with geneza1 ecology, intraspecific sex-limited diversity, patterns of oedymerism, besides provided keys to the genera and species and recorded 135 species.

Gall thrips : Ananthakrishnan & Jagadish (1969) have compiled the monograph of Indian gall thrips, where they have provided generic &specific keys and recorded 81 species. Subsequently Ananthakrishnan (1968, 1971, 1972) added another 19 species. Ananthakrishnan (1978) published the monograph Thrips galls and Gall thrips, where he dealt with the major gall types, morphology 'of thrips galls and provided keys to the genera ef gall thrips of the world, along with list of gall thrips genera and alphabetical index of gall thrips species along with their hosts.

EcoloBY : The most significant work on different aspects of ecology of Indian thrips was undertaken by Ananthakrishnan and his associates in Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Madras and published a large number of papers. Ananthakrishnan (1984) published his monumental work Bioecology of thrips as an outcome of his intensive stucties for a long peri04 where he dealt at length the thrips communities, thrips and agroecosystem, reproductive strategies along with life cycles, ecology of gall and mycophagous thrips, thrips and natural con1ro1 agents, thrips and host-plant interactions, etc. Kulshrestha & Srinivasan (1985), Kulshrestha, et. ale (1982, 1983) Srivastava et. al. (1983), Vijay Veer et. al. (1983) have studied the ecology of thrips of Doon Valley (U.P.).

Biology : Lal &Sinha (1968) studied the biology of Thrips tabaci. Dev (1964) studied the biology of Scirtothrips dorsalis on tea in Assam. Jagota (1961) studied the life history of Microcephalothrips abdominalis. Raizada (1965) studied the life history of Scirtothrips dorsalis with detailed external morphology of immature stages. Visalakshi &Joseph (1967). studied the biology of Gynaikothris karnyi. Srivastava & Vijay Veer (1983) studied the life history of Lejroyothrips lefroyi. Joshi (1974) studied the biology of Stictothripsjimbriata. Ananthakrishnan (1987, 1988a, 1988b, 1988c)" studied the oocyte follicle cell dynamics in Arrhenothrips ramakrishnae. Ananthakrishnan et ale (1983) studied the reproductive strategies and behavioural attributes of some sporophagous ldolothripinae. Ananthakrishnan et ale (1984) studied ecological interactions, species dynamics and reproductive biology of some mycophagous thrips. Viswantahan & Ananthakrishnan (1973) studied the biology, ecology and behaviour of Ecacanthothrips libialis and in another paper (1973) studied the partial ovoviviparity in Tiarothrips subramanii.

Control : In recent years thrips have attracted the attention of agricultural and applied entomologists to work on the control aspects of thrips, due to their damage potential. Birat (1968), La! &Sinha (1968), Pandey (1971), Pat~l &Patel (1967), Rathore et. a'l.-(1970) Reddy &, Jagadish (1980), Saxena (1975), Singh & Sidhu (1959) and Verma (1966) studied the control of cotton and onion thrips, Thrips tabaci. Other studies are : Rangarajan et. ala (1973), Reddy &, Jagadish (1980) on "chillies thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis;" N. R. Ananthakrishnan (1963) on biology and control of Scirtothrips bispinosus;"Chaudhari &Ramjan (1971) on Haplothrips ganglbaueri on paddy; Lal & Pillay (1980) on Retithrips syriacus on <;assava; Muraleedharan and.I{andaswamy (1980) on tea thrips; Pillai & Abraham (1978) on Cardamom thrips, Sciothrips cardamomi; Sandhu et al. (1974) on Anaphothrips sudanensis on ~aize; Santhanaraman (1965) on Rhipiphorothrips cruentatus on rose; Thimmaiah & Panchbhavi (1973) on Heliothrips indiclU on groundnuL

Ananthakrishnan (1973 published a book Thrips biology and control where the has dealt in detail ecology, life cycles, feeding mechanisms and nature of injuries, major and minor thrips pests and their control, role of thrips in gall formation and plant disease transmission.

Surveys

Intensive survey of thrips fauna have been conducted in South India, West Bengal, Delhi and pw:ts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, U.P., N.E. India and Himachal Pradesh. Our knowledge of thnps fauna of Western, Eastern, North Western and North Eastern India is me8gre, and intensive surveys are needed in respect of mycophagous and gall inhabiting fonns.

Estimation of Taxa

Mound, Heming & Palmer (1980) and Palmer eta a1.(1989) have recognised eight families of Thysanoptera: Uzelothripidae, Merothripidae, Aeolothripidae, Adiheterothripidae, Fauriellidae. Heterothripidae, Thripidae, Phlaeothripidae, out of which five are represented in India leaving out three (Uzelothripidae, Faureillidae &aeterothripidae). Approximate 6000 species of thrips are known from the world, out of which 691 species under 250 genera are reported from India. The

In the Zoological Survey of India, research o~ taxonomy of Thysanoptera of Meghalaya, revision and updating of Hand Book, and preparation of a bibliography of Indian Thysanoptera covering various aspects are in progress.

In the Entomological Research Institute, Loyola College, Madras a team of research workers under the guidance of Prof. T. N. Ananthakrishnan is engaged in studies on the aspects of ecobehaviour and bio-systematics, sensory perCeption and host location, biochemical parameters in relation to host-plant preference, thrips-crop-weed interactions relating to economically important crops; and cecidology and thrips and their role in pollination.

In Hans Raj'College, Delhi, J. S. Bhatti is engaged in studies on systematics with special reference to taxonomic revisionary work and classification.

Expertise India

In ZSl

S. Sen, N. K. Pramanik, C. K. Sen Gupta, all of ZSI, M-Block, New Allpur, Calcutta 700053. R. H. Kamble, ZSI, Eastern Regional Station, Risa Colony, Shillong -793003.

Elsewhere

T. N. Ananthalaishnan, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Madras -60Q034. J. S. Bhatti, Hans Raj College, New Delhi -110007.

Abroad

A. Boumier, 10 Rue Abert, 3400 Montpellier (France) R. zur Sttasseo, Forschungsinstitut Senkenberg, Senkenberglarge 25, D-6000, Frankfurt am Main (Gennany). L. A. Mound &, Dr. (Mrs.) J. M. Palmer, Department of Entomology, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, Lpndon SW'7 5 BD (U. K.) K. Sakimura, 1834 Betram Stteet, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 (U.S.A.). Han Yun Fa, Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica, Haitien, Beijing (China) I. Kudo, Shizuoka Seiko Gakuin High School, Oshika, Shizuoka -422 (Japan) S. Okajima, Entomological Laboratory, Tokyo University' of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka, Setagaya -Iu, Tokyo -156 (Japan) C. F. Jacot -Guillarmod, Albany Museum, Grahams Town (South Africa)

Selected References

Ananthakrishnan. T. N. 1969. Indian Thysanoptera. ~.SJ.R. Zool. MOllDgraph.l : 171 pp. Aftanthakrishnan. T. N. 1984. Bioecology of thrips. Indira Publishing House. Michigan. U.S.A. :

233 pp. Ananthakrishnan, T. N. &Sen S.1980. Taxonomy of Indian Thysanoptera. Zool. Surv. India, Handbk. Ser., 1 : 234 pp. Bhatti, J. S. 1988. The orders Terebrantia and Tubulifera of the superorder 1bysanoptera (Insecta). a critical appraisal. -Zoology, 1 (2) : 167-240. Lewis, T. 1973. Thrips their biology, ecology and economic importance. Academic Press, London : 349 pp. Mound, L. A., Heming, B. S. &Palmer, J. M. 1980. Phylogenetic relationships ~tween the families of recent Thysanoptera. Zool. J. LiM. Soc., 69(2) : 111-141. Mound, L. A. &Palmer, J. M. 1983. The generic and tribal classification of spore-feeding Thysanoptera (phlaeothripidae : Idolothripinae). Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Ent.), 46(1) : 1-174. Palmer, J. M; Mound, L. A. & Heaume, G. J. 1989. CIE guides to insects o/importance to man.

2. Tltysanoptera. CAB International Institute of Entomology, London: 73 pp. Priesner, H. 1949. Genera Thysanopterorum. Bull. Soc. Fouad Ellt. Egypte, 3~: 159-174. Ramakrishna Ayyar, T. V. &Margabandhu, V. 1940. Catalogue of Indian Insects. Part 25. Thysanoptera: 1..64.

Wilson, T. H. 1975. A monograph of the subfamily Panchaetothripinae (Thysanoptera : Thripidae). Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst .• 23 : 1-354.