Larvae of the Sericothripini (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), with Reference to Other Larvae of the Terebrantia, of Illinois

The morphology and taxonomy of the immature stages of the Thysanoptera have received minimum attention in North America. Significant contributions on the larvae of thrips have been made in Europe, East Asia, and North Africa (Priesner 1926fl, 1926Zj-192S, and 1960) and in India (Jagadish & Ananthakrishnan 1972), and these studies constitute the basis of our knowledge. In the United States most of the descriptions of the immature stages are found in accounts of the life histories of economically important thrips. This report deals mainly with the second-stage larvae, especially the known forms belonging to the tribe Sericothripini as represented in Illinois, and includes a comparison of the larval characteristics of many of the genera of the suborder Terebrantia that are found in the same region. Larval characteristics were used to substantiate the classification formerly based on adult features and to interpret the phylogeny of this insect order. A special study on the life history of Seiicothrips variabilis (Beach) was included to provide an example of the bionomics of a common species. References to the literature, with few exceptions, terminated in 1971 when this report was submitted as a Master of Science thesis to the Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana.