What is the largest known size of a thrips?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

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*).

The largest known thrips are approximately 15 mm (0.6 inch) in length. While most species in the order Thysanoptera are much smaller—typically ranging from 1.5 to 3 mm—their minute size allows them to inhabit very small spaces, such as the interior of tiny flowers or narrow cracks in plant stems and bark.1