Comparison of developmental and reproductive biology inwing diphenic Anaphothrips obscurus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Anaphothrips obscurus (Muller) is a cosmopolitan pest feeding on cereal crops and grasses. This species exhibits wing polyphenism. Differences in the life history traits of female macropterous and brachypterous A. obscurus were compared in the laboratory for this study. Experiments were performed in climate chambers set at 20 and 25 +- 1 Celsius, 60 +- 10% RH under a 16 L:8D photoperiod. The duration of total pre-adult stage, adult preoviposition period and total pre-oviposition period of macropterous morphs were significantly longer than in the brachypterous morphs both at 20 and 25 Celsius. No significant differenceswere found in adult longevity, survival rate or total fecundity between the twowingmorphs,while early fecunditywas significantly higher for brachypterous females compared with that for macropterous females at two temperatures.