Cycadothrips Explained

Cycadothrips is a genus of thrips first discovered on the male cones of the cycad Macrozamia communis in New South Wales. They pollinate cycads which are mostly evolved for wind-pollination. The thrips transport pollen from the male cones to the female cones on separate plants.

The genus has a pair of longitudinal sutures on the metasternum and a pair of expanded sensory areas on the third antennal segment. The genus has been placed in a separate subfamily under the Aeolothripidae. Three species are known. Apart from the type species C. chadwicki which pollinates M. communis there is C. albrechti pollinates Macrozamia macdonnellii in central Australia and C. emmaliami which pollinates Macrozamia riedlei in southwest Australia.^{[1] [2] [3]} In C. chadwicki, it has been observed that the cycas mediates the repelling of the thrips from the male cones through heat-production and attraction by the female cones during the same period through volatile emissions.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Mound . Laurence A. . Terry . Irene . 2001 . Thrips Pollination of the Central Australian Cycad, Macrozamia macdonnellii (Cycadales) . International Journal of Plant Sciences . en . 162 . 1 . 147–154 . 10.1086/317899 . 1058-5893.
2. Terry . Irene . 2001 . Thrips and Weevils as Dual, Specialist Pollinators of the Australian Cycad Macrozamia communis (Zamiaceae) . International Journal of Plant Sciences . en . 162 . 6 . 1293–1305 . 10.1086/321929 . 1058-5893.
3. Brookes . D.R. . Hereward . J.P. . Terry . L.I. . Walter . G.H. . 2015 . Evolutionary dynamics of a cycad obligate pollination mutualism – Pattern and process in extant Macrozamia cycads and their specialist thrips pollinators . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . en . 93 . 83–93 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.07.003.
4. Terry . Irene . Walter . Gimme H. . Moore . Chris . Roemer . Robert . Hull . Craig . 2007-10-05 . Odor-Mediated Push-Pull Pollination in Cycads . Science . en . 318 . 5847 . 70–70 . 10.1126/science.1145147 . 0036-8075.