Pollen‐feeding and the host specificity and fecundity of flower thrips (Thysanoptera)

Abstract

1. Flower thrips could feed on pollen of a wide range of sizes and were unaffected by exine spines. One species of thrips was unable to feed on very adhesive grains.2. The proportion of time spent feeding on each species of pollen (in seconds per minute of exposure) reflected the known host specificities. Host-specific thrips could distinguish their host pollen, apparently without probing. 3.Kukothrips pisivorw (Westwood) appeared to have a higher rate of ingestion of a host pollen than of four non-host pollens.4. In cages in the laboratory, Thrips fuscipennis Haliday laid significantly more eggs over 48 h when given pollen than when given other floral tissues or no food. K.pisivonu and Ceratothrips ericae (Haliday) also laid significantly more eggs over 48 h in the presence of pollen than in its absence.5. In comparisons between pollen diets, T. fuscipennis, a generalist, laid similar numbers of eggs with each species of pollen, but K.pisiuorus and Cericue laid significantly more eggs with their respective host pollens. The differences in oviposition rate between pollen diets reflected the differences in the proportion of time spent feeding.

Diet–dependent effects of gut bacteria on their insect host: the symbiosis ofErwiniasp. and western flower thrips

“…The function of the gut bacteria for their host has not yet been studied and we test their impact on food conversion in the thrips. Thrips feed primarily on leaf parenchyma, leaf petals and pollen of a large number of species (Kirk 1985;Yudin et al 1986). …”

The role of pollen odour in the attraction of pollen beetles to oilseed rape flowers

“…Volatile cues from pollen have been implicated in pollen selection by host-specific thrips (Kirk, 1985). In bees, Dobson (1987) demonstrated that the solitary bee Colletes fulgidus longiplumosus (Stephen) was attracted to the odour of both the flowers and the pollen of its host plant, and Dobson et al (1999) demonstrated that the presence of pollen or pollen volatiles increased landing responses of bumble bees on flowers.…”

Biodiversity of Thrips Species (Thysanoptera) on Flowering Herbs in Cracow, Poland

“…They also feed on young, tender leaves (Lewis 1973). For many flower thrips, pollen is their major food source (Kirk 1985(Kirk , 2008. This means that the thrips are likely to be able to distinguish their host by its pollen.…”