''Franklinothrips'' is a genus of

thrips Thrips (Order (biology) , order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Entomologists have species description , described approximately 7,700 species. They fly on ...

with

pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers tropical regions of both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and ''Bacopa''. ''Neotropical' ...

distribution.

Name

The genus name is derived from the surname of entomologist H. J. Franklin, who described thrips taxa in the early 1900s. The thrips genus '' Frankliniella'' is also named after him. Franklin worked at the entomology department of the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

in the 1930s.

Reproduction

Most species are apparently bisexual (have both males and females) and occur only in small areas. An exception is ''F. vespiformis'', which is unisexual (mostly females) and occurs in many tropical countries. Only few males were produced during rearing programmes involving ''F. vespiformis''.

Mimicry

The fast-running females are easily misidentified as ants or bethylid wasps (superfamily

Chrysidoidea The superfamily Chrysidoidea is a very large cosmopolitan group, all of which are parasitoids or cleptoparasites of other insects. There are three large, common families (Bethylidae, Chrysididae, and Dryinidae) and four small, rare families (Em ...

), as they closely mimic ants in behavior and body form. Males are less ant-like in appearance, being smaller, with longer antennae and a less constricted waist.

Feeding behavior

''F. orizabensis'' is known to be unable to survive solely on plant food. It is used as a control agent against thrips on

avocado The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...

trees. Together with ''F. vespiformis'' it has been marketed in Europe as a control agent against thrips in

greenhouse A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

s. ''F. vespiformis'' also feeds on

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

s of a

whitefly Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than 1550 species have been described. Description and taxonomy The A ...

species and the larvae of an agromyzid fly. ''F. megalops'' has been used for thrips control in "internal landscapes".

Taxonomy

The three neotropical species ''F. orizabensis'', ''F. tenuicornis'' and ''F. vespiformis'' are closely related. The species ''F. megalops'', ''F. rarosae'' and ''F. variegatus'' appear to part of a

cline Cline may refer to: Science * Cline (biology), a measurable gradient in a single trait in a species across its geographical range * Cline (hydrology), a fluid layer with a property that varies * Cline (mathematics) or generalised circle, a ci ...

across the Old World tropics from Africa to Australia, with ''F. rarosae'' being intermediate in appearance as well as distribution. The only genus closely related to ''Franklinothrips'' is '' Corynothripoides'' from Africa, and its only species, ''C. marginipennis'', could even belong to the same genus. ''F. caballeroi'' and ''F. suzukii'' are possibly the same species, with one having been distributed through horticultural trade.

References

* * Includes key to species and color photographs. * Thrips of the World Checklist
Genus ''Franklinothrips''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5492139 Insects of Africa Thrips genera Terebrantia Insects of Asia Fauna of the Pantropical realm