| Aeolothripidae | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Thysanoptera |
| Suborder: | Terebrantia |
| Family: | Aeolothripidae Uzel, 1895 |
| Genera | |
|
Aeolothrips | |
| Diversity | |
| 24 recent genera (5 fossil), ca. 200 species | |
The Aeolothripidae are a family of thrips. They are particularly common in the holarctic region, although several occur in the drier parts of the subtropics, including dozens in Australia. Adults and larvae are usually found in flowers, but they pupate on the ground. While they normally prey on other arthropods, many feed also on flowers.[1]
Species of the genus Aeolothrips, which contains about half of all species in this family, mostly live on flowers, although a few species live at ground level as obligate predators of mites. Those that live on flowers are normally facultative predators. Aeolothrips intermedius requires floral proteins in its diet in addition to its regular prey of thrips larvae to breed successfully.
Franklinothrips is a pantropical genus of ant-mimicking predators.
- ^ Mound, L. A. (1977). "A new genus of Aeolothripidae (Thysanoptera) from New Zealand and New Caledonia". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 4 (2): 149–152. doi:10.1080/03014223.1977.9517946.