Bad-smelling Alkanet vs Common thrips

Alkanna maleolens compared with Aptinothrips rufus

Key Differences

• Bad-smelling Alkanet is Critically Endangered while Common thrips is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Common thrips
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Thysanoptera (Thysanoptera)
Family	Boraginaceae	Thripidae
Genus	Alkanna	Aptinothrips
Species	Alkanna maleolens	Aptinothrips rufus

Conservation Status

Bad-smelling Alkanet

CR — Critically Endangered

Common thrips

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Common thrips
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bad-smelling Alkanet

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Common thrips

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

Bad-smelling Alkanet

The Bad-smelling Alkanet (Alkanna maleolens) is a species in the genus Alkanna. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Common thrips

<em>Aptinothrips rufus</em>, the common thrips, is a small insect in the order Thysanoptera, family Thripidae, recorded from five European countries including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, as well as the United States. It is Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List. This species is primarily a grass-feeding thrips, found on grasses and grassland vegetation across temperate regions. The name "rufus" refers to the reddish-brown coloration of adults. Like other thrips, adults are minute insects, typically 1–2 millimeters long, with fringed wings adapted for flight and dispersal across grass habitats. Populations can be locally abundant in grasslands during warm summer months. <em>Aptinothrips rufus</em> feeds by piercing plant cells and extracting sap, primarily from grass blades and stems. It typically completes multiple generations per year under favorable conditions. The species has limited direct agricultural significance compared to some other thrips pests, but plays a role in grassland ecosystems. Biological traits such as precise body weight, longevity, and egg production figures remain poorly documented in standardized scientific assessments.