Thrips are important agricultural pests and accurate identification is important for their effective management. In order to determine species, however, they need to be mounted on slides and the traditional process is time-consuming. The aim of this paper is to describe a simple and fast method to prepare temporary slides for the routine identification of thrips, which is not dependent on their colour and hardness. Four species of thrips of different colours were used in the preparations: Frankliniella occidentalis (yellow with brown tergal markings), Frankliniella schultzei (entirely brown), Haplothrips gowdeyii (dark brown to carmine) and Caliothrips phaseoli (brown to black). Slides of each species were prepared using three different methods: traditional (3 days), simplified (6 h) and fast method (10 min). The thrips on the resulting slides were observed under a microscope and important structures used in their identification were compared. The quality of the slides prepared using the traditional method was superior to those prepared using the other two methods if only the transparency and general position of the insects on the slides were considered. The transparency of the slides prepared using the simplified method was also good, but only for the pale coloured species (yellow and grey-brown). The fast method, on the other hand, was very efficient for routine identification since it resulted in slides of sufficient quality for identifying species regardless of their colour. It is important, however, to stress that the fast method is only suitable for preparing temporary slides for routine identification and is not a substitute for the traditional method of preparing permanent slides., Luís C.P. Silveira, Marcelo M. Haro., and Obsahuje bibliografii
On the ventral tube of males of Onychiuroides granulosus (Stach, 1934) there is a male ventral organ, which consists of two groups of four setae that are thickened, slightly flattened and bent. All setae of the male ventral organ are inserted in a richly sculptured cuticle. At the base of each seta there are a few large cells (basal cells) that have large irregular nuclei that contain a large amount of heterochromatin. In the cytoplasm of the basal cells there are numerous mitochondria, ribosomes and a rich system of endoplasmic reticulum. The plasma membrane of the basal cells forms richly folded, deep invaginations, filled with a dense material, which also occurs in particular setae and on their surface. The present study indicates that the male ventral organ is secretory and does not confirm its previously suggested sensory function., Bożena Simiczyjew, Dariusz Skarżyński, Adrian Smolis, Romuald J. Pomorski, Marta Mazurkiewicz-Kania., and Obsahuje bibliografii