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Abstract
The chemical ecology of the Thysanoptera is identified with a variety of natural products discharged in anal droplets during confrontations with adversaries. These exudates are fortified with defensive allomones that may function as repellents, contact irritants, or in some cases, fumigants. Thrips synthesize a large diversity of allomonal products that include hydrocarbons, acids, esters, aromatic compounds, and monoterpenes. Most of the exudates contain mixtures of natural products whose defensive efficacies may reflect synergistic interactions of selected compounds. That the anal secretions of thrips are highly effective repellents for a variety of ant species probably reflects the fact that formicids are the major predators against which these exocrine products have been evolved.
Parent Publication
Citation
Blum, Murray S. 1991. Chemical ecology of the Thysanoptera. Parker, Bruce. L.; Skinner, Margaret; Lewis, Trevor, eds. Towards Understanding Thysanoptera. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-147. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station: 95-112.
