PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE

Mound, Laurence A. & Wells, Alice, 2015, Endemics and adventives: Thysanoptera (Insecta) biodiversity of Norfolk, a tiny Pacific Island, Zootaxa 3964 (2), pp. 183-210 : 189-190

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE

http://www.ozthrips.org/tubulifera/ phlaeothripidae /

This is the largest of the Thysanoptera families. Around the world, a considerable number of species feed on plant leaves where they sometimes induce galls; a smaller number of species live in flowers, a few are predatory on other small insects, but most species are fungus-feeders on dead branches and dead leaves. Many fungus-feeding species have become widely distributed around the world, possibly many years ago by sailing ships in association with dead wood used as fuel and amongst ballast (Mound 1983), but others possibly have extensive natural distributions.

Two subfamilies are recognised in the Phlaeothripidae . The smaller of these, Idolothripinae , comprises species that feed only on whole fungal spores, judging from their broad maxillary stylets. On Norfolk Island, six such species in five genera have been found (Mound 1974; Mound & Palmer 1983). All the other Phlaeothripidae listed here are species of Phlaeothripinae , and although most are fungus feeders, a few are predators or flower-feeders. As stated in the Introduction, no leaf-feeding Phlaeothripinae have been found on Norfolk Island.