My photo backlog contained this insect, a thrips, also known as thunderflies as they are known to swarm on very warm summer days.
This animal is very small and the photo quality leave something to desire, but since it is my first thrips I’ll allow it 😅.
After some searching I arrive on the family Aeolothrips1, and after deeper digging a possible female Aeolothrips ericae.
A number of important charcteristics do match, among which the color of the first three antennae segments and the light color of the abdomen segment X compared to segments VIII-IX.
The lighter colored second abdomen segment seemed to me a distinquishing characteristic as it can be found on most of this species photo’s on the internet, but it is not.
The specimen is a femal as it lacks the graspers on the side of segment IX.
This species is a predator on other thrips larvae but mix their diet with pollen as well. The plant in the pictures is Greater celandine (Chelidonium majus).
Literature
1, 2 Thrips of California 20123 Nederlands Soortenregister
