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How many nonfeeding pupal stages can occur in thrips development?

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Detailed illustration of a western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, showing its elongated yellow-brown body, six legs, and two pairs of fringed wings spread outward. — thrips Western flower thrips (*Frankliniella occidentalis*).

In the development of thrips, there may be one, two, or three nonfeeding pupal stages. While thrips belong to a group of insects that typically undergo simple metamorphosis, their development is unique because they possess pupae that resemble those found in insects undergoing complete metamorphosis.1