The suborder Tubulifera comprises all those Thysanoptera species in which the tenth abdominal segment of adults is tubular, with a terminal anus but the genital opening at the base of the tube in both sexes.  In contrast to species of Terebrantia, the life history of members of the Tubulifera involves three pupal stadia following the two larval intars. Only a single family is recognised in this suborder, the Phlaeothripidae, with two subfamilies, Phlaeothripinae and Idolothripinae.  In contrast, Bhatti (1994, 1998) recognised the Tubulifera as an independent Order of Insects comprising 12 families. Mound (2011c) provided a summary of the proposed classifications of the order Thysanoptera.