AEOLOTHRIPIDAE

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

AEOLOTHRIPIDAE

http://www.ozthrips.org/terebrantia/ aeolothripidae /

Most species in this family are flower-living, where they are probably facultative predators on other small insects. However, some species are obligate predators, living at ground level or high in the tree canopy. Most species in this family are described from the Northern Hemisphere, although there is an extensive native aeolothripid fauna in Australia. The Australian endemic genus Desmothrips includes 18 described species, mainly living in flowers, but none of these have been found on Norfolk Island.

Aeolothrips fasciatus (Linnaeus) : This presumably predatory species, with broad, transversely banded wings, is from southern Europe, and has been seen in low numbers from Tasmania and New Zealand ( Mound & Walker 1982). Many females, but no males, were collected on 100 Acre Farm from flowering lucerne in association with a large population of Thrips novocaledonensis . A few specimens were also taken from lettuce plants at Bullocks Hut Road.