Thrips

Description:

Looking very much like a reduviid bug, this small insect had a very flat body with wings crossed over. A dark long prothorax supported a narrow head and what looked like rounded eyes. The rest of the thorax showed a few spikey growths. Antennae had about 5 or 6 segments with slight thickening of the distal part of each segment. Legs that were dark , long with thickened tibia and were held folded on the sidesas if suspending the flat body. At the rear end was what looked like a short dark ovipostior whch the insect could move up, down and sideways.
The insect would have been about 8 mm long, about twice the size of the flea beetle seen on the same leaf (pic3). The insect was intent on feeding or sucking a small part of the leaf, seen in pics 3 & 4 as a small patch devoid of the waxy coating seen on the rest of the leaf.

Habitat:

Spotted on a eucalyptus leaf on tree in a nature reserve.

Notes:

Got an ID at last ! said to be very common but this is the first I have seen. I will have to research further to confirm ID. Order: Thysanoptera
https://sites.google.com/site/insectsoft...