MYCOPHAGOUS PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE (THYSANOPTERA: TUBULIFERA) IN THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT#

Abstract

Mycophagous Phlaeothripidae (Thysanoptera: Tubulifera:) are recognizable as (a) fungal-hyphae-feeding mycetophagous Phlaeothripinae, living on fungi that infest dry twigs and (b) fungal-spore-feeding sporophagous Idolothripinae, usually present on leaf litter. In the Indian subcontinent, out of 765 species of known Thysanoptera, nearly 152 species in 66 genera fall within the mycophagous group of the Phlaeothripidae with 54 idolothripine and 98 phlaeothripine species. Taxonomic diversity of these species in bamboo-and oak-leaf litter and pine forests in the sub-Himalayan ecosystems of North-Eastern India are discussed in this article, along with the diversity that is apparent in their developmental patterns, thrips-plant-fungus association, and phenotypic plasticity, supplemented with a note on their ecological implications.