The grass-living genus Aptinothrips Haliday (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

A key is provided to the species of Aptinothrips: elegans Priesner, karnyi John, rufus (Haliday) and stylifer Trybom, with notes on their biology, host preferences and distribution. The following new synonymies are also included: Thrips imaginis Bagnall (= Aptinothrips apertus Kelly and Mayne); Aptinothrips stylifer Trybom (= Aptinothrips nitidulus forma groenlandica Richter).     

A newly recorded genus of the Rhamphothrips genus-group (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from China

The genus Parexothrips Priesner of Rhamphothrips genus-group(Thripidae: Thripinae) is recorded in China for the first time. A new record species, Parexothrips tenellus(Priesner), is described and illustrated from China. A key to genera of Chinese Rhamphothrips genus-group is provided. Examined specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University(SCAU).     

A new species of thrip, genus Frankliniella (group Cephalica; Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from Costa Rica

A new species of the Frankliniella cephalica group, from Central Costa Rica, is described under the name "Frankliniella morerai n.sp.". It is closely related to Frankliniella sandovalensis. Both species have translucent bodies, but the new species can be distinguished by these characteristics: setae io II in position 1/2, a complete comb on abdominal segment VIII, antennal segments without coloration and setae po IV longer. It was found in low density in crops of chilli, tomato, lettuce, sweet potato and coriander. A comparative table with other species of this group is included to facilitate diagnosis.     

Assessment of loci for DNA barcoding in the genus Thrips (Thysanoptera:Thripidae)

Identification of the juveniles of economically important thrips species on imports by morphology alone can be challenging and culturing is usually required. In the case of EU quarantine species such as Thrips palmi, rapid and accurate identification is essential. DNA barcoding using the Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene has become a popular technique for species identification; however, in some invertebrate genera COI has been shown to provide insufficient variability for species discrimination. This study presents a comparison of five different loci to investigate their ability to discriminate a small number of Thrips species. All five loci discriminated the species by neighbour-joining tree and varying degrees of discrimination were determined upon further investigation of the intraspecific and interspecific distances. Two distinct COI clades were observed for T. Palmi and judged to be COI haplotypes when data from the other four additional loci and geographical collection data were taken into consideration. COI was shown to provide sufficient variation to be used in future DNA barcoding efforts within the genus Thrips.     

Five new species of Thripidae (Thysanoptera) endemic to New Zealand

Abstract

Three new species of genus Thrips are described—austellus, coprosmae, and phormiicola—which are closely related to the common New Zealand species T. obscuratus (Crawford). The systematic and zoogeographic significance of this endemic species-group is discussed. Physemothrips hadrus n.sp. is described from the South Island; the only other member of this genus is from Macquarie Island. Anaphothrips zelandicus n.sp. is described from the South Island and the Chatham and Antipodes islands, A. woodi Pitkin is recorded from New Zealand, and the relationships of these two species to the Australian fauna are discussed.     

Austro-oriental genus Parabaliothrips Priesner (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), with a new Australian species forming male aggregations

A second Australian species of Parabaliothrips Priesner is described, P. newmani , forming male aggregations on the leaf buds of Moreton Bay fig, Ficus macrophylla (Moraceae). The genus, predominantly south-east Asian, is redefined and a key provided to the five described species. Members of this genus feed on leaves across a wide range of plant families, although each species is host specific. The host plant of the previously known Australian species, P. setifer Karny, is newly recognised as Leucopogon lanceolatus (Epacridaceae), and different south-east Asian species are associated with species of Betulaceae, Hamamelidaceae and Fagaceae.     

A Second Species of the Genus Australothrips Bagnall (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

A second member of the Australian endemic genus Australothrips Bagnall (Thripidae: Panchaetothripinae) is described. This species, Australothrips aliceae , was found at sites near Darwin, Northern Territory on the leaves of Calytrix brownii (Myrtaceae). It is of systematic interest because it approaches in structure the members of the palaeotropical genus Phibalothrips Hood that live only on grasses.     

New World Thripidae (Thysanoptera) with nine-segmented antennae

A key is provided to the New World genera of Thripidae with nine-segmented antennae. Psydrothrips kewi gen. et sp. nov. is described, a discussion is given of the morphology of the Neotropical genera which it resembles, and keys to species are provided.     

A new platanaceous genus Tasymia (Angiosperms) from the Turonian of Siberia

A new extinct genus of arborescent angiosperms, Tasymia gen. nov., is described from the Turonian deposits of the upper part of the Simonovo Formation on the Kas River (left-bank tributary of the Yenisei River, Krasnoyarsk Region). The epidermal characters of leaves of the new genus testify to its platanaceous affinity. A comparison with other extinct taxa of the Platanaceae from the Chulym-Yenisei Depression and other regions of the Northern Hemisphere is accomplished.     

中国花蓟马属一新种记述(缨翅目:蓟马科)

记述花蓟马属1新种--海南花蓟马 Frankliniella hainanensis Zheng et Feng,sp.nov..模式标本保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆.     

Resistance to Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in beans

Resistance in beans, Phaseolus vulgaris L., to the melon thrips Thrips palmi Karny was studied under field conditions at two sites in Colombia. Genotypes were rated for resistance on the basis of visual damage scores, bean production ratings (a visual estimate of pod and seed set), and grain yields. Of 1,138 genotypes tested, only 60 (5.3%) were rated as resistant. Repeated testing allowed us to identify potential sources of resistance in five germplasm accessions (G 02402, G 02852, G 03177, G 03569, and G 04055), one commercial variety ('Brunca'), six elite breeding lines (A 216, DOR 714, EMP 486, FEB 115, FEB 161, and FEB 162), 41 recombinant inbred lines derived from the BAT 881 x G 21212 cross, and seven recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between DOR 364 and BAT 477. Resistance was not associated with maturity, growth habit, pubescence, and seed color or seed size. In general, correlations between visual damage scores and bean production ratings and between damage scores and yield were high and significant meaning that selection on damage rating is useful to identify genotypes that may have tolerance as a mechanism of resistance. The continuous distribution of damage scores of 139 recombinant inbred lines suggested that the inheritance of resistance to the melon thrips might be quantitative. Overall, resistance levels in beans can be considered as moderate, because none of the genotypes tested received damage scores of <3 on a 1-9 scale and none was ever rated as highly resistant in terms of bean production ratings.     

Polymorphic microsatellite markers in Thrips hawaiiensis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Thrips hawaiiensis (Morgan, 1913) is an important insect pest of fruits and vegetables. At present, it is primarily distributed in tropical and subtropical area. For a better understanding of the genetic makeup and migration patterns of T. hawaiiensis throughout the world, we isolated 11 novel polymorphic microsatellite loci from an enriched genomic library based on a biotin/streptavidin capture protocol. Genetic parameters were estimated on 80 individual thrips from two natural populations. The results showed that all 11 loci were highly polymorphic; the number of alleles ranged from six to 37, and nine loci demonstrated polymorphic information content (PIC) > 0.5. The observed (H _O) and expected (H _E) heterozygosities ranged from 0.350 to 0.925 and 0.307 to 0.952, respectively. Furthermore, only four locus/population combinations significantly deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). These microsatellite markers have potential utility in population structure and gene flow studies of this species.     

Genetics of spinosad resistance in Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

The genetic basis of spinosad resistance was investigated in the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). The resistant strain, selected in the laboratory for spinosad resistance from a pool of thrips populations collected in Almeria (southeastern Spain), showed a very high resistance to spinosad (356,547-fold based on LC50 values) compared with the laboratory susceptible strain. Mortality data from reciprocal crosses of resistant and susceptible thrips indicated that resistance was autosomal and not influenced by maternal effects. Analysis of probit lines from the parental strains and reciprocal crosses showed that resistance was expressed as an almost completely recessive trait. To determine the number of genes involved, a direct test of monogenic inheritance based on the backcrosses suggested that resistance to spinosad was probably controlled by one locus. Another approach, which was based on phenotypic variances, showed that nE, or the minimum number of freely segregating genetic factors for the resistant strain, equaled 0.59.     

First Record of Elixothrips brevisetis (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Brazil

Elixothrips brevisetis (Bagnall), a species exotic to Brazil, is first recorded in the country. Individuals were collected on banana fruits (Musa sp.) (Musaceae) in July 2010 in the municipality of Luís Alves, state of Santa Catarina, causing rusting on the fruit peel in several bunches of bananas.     

Advances in control of onion thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in cabbage

Onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), feeding injury results in discoloration and a rough texture on cabbage, Brassica oleracea capitata (L.), leaves, and damage may occur deep inside the head. It has become a key pest of cabbage in the United States and many other countries. Previous studies have indicated poor control using insecticides. The present study identified imidacloprid drenches and sprays of acetamiprid, dimethoate, spinosad, and imidacloprid as insecticides that performed better than the industry standard, lambda-cyhalothrin. However, additional tests with foliar sprays of dimethoate and acetamiprid indicated there was not an ideal crop stage (precupping, cupping, or postcupping) at which either insecticide could be applied for reliable control of T. tabaci, possibly because of multiple flights of thrips into the crop or the asynchrony of flights and susceptible crop stages. In tests in a commercial field, a soil drench of imidacloprid 4 wk after transplanting reduced the number of damaged leaves in the head by 32%, whereas five sprays of acetamiprid reduced damage by 51%. Combining both insecticide regimes reduced damage by 85%, but resulted in a very costly management program. Cabbage varieties varied considerably in susceptibility with some having negligible thrips injury, regardless of being treated with an insecticide. Planting date affected susceptibility of cabbage to some degree, but not as much as other tactics. Overall, these studies indicate that increased emphasis should be placed on breeding cabbages to be resistant to T. tabaci as the foundation for its management.     

A revision of the grass-living genus Podothrips (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)

The genus Podothrips Hood is redefined, and three new species are described: orion and australis from Australia and moundi from New Guinea. Two new synonymies are recorded in Podothrips and fuscus Moulton and monsterae Moulton are excluded. A key to the nineteen species and an annotated catalogue are provided. The distribution and biology of the genus are briefly discussed.     

Sampling techniques for thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in preflowering tomato

Sampling techniques for thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) were compared in preflowering tomato plants at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, GA, in 2000 and 2003, to determine the most effective method of determining abundance of thrips on tomato foliage early in the growing season. Three relative sampling techniques, including a standard insect aspirator, a 946-ml beat cup, and an insect vacuum device, were compared for accuracy to an absolute method and to themselves for precision and efficiency of sampling thrips. Thrips counts of all relative sampling methods were highly correlated (R > 0.92) to the absolute method. The aspirator method was the most accurate compared with the absolute sample according to regression analysis in 2000. In 2003, all sampling methods were considered accurate according to Dunnett's test, but thrips numbers were lower and sample variation was greater than in 2000. In 2000, the beat cup method had the lowest relative variation (RV) or best precision, at 1 and 8 d after transplant (DAT). Only the beat cup method had RV values <25 for all sampling dates. In 2003, the beat cup method had the lowest RV value at 15 and 21 DAT. The beat cup method also was the most efficient method for all sample dates in both years. Frankliniella fusca (Pergande) was the most abundant thrips species on the foliage of preflowering tomato in both years of study at this location. Overall, the best thrips sampling technique tested was the beat cup method in terms of precision and sampling efficiency.     

On the so-called spermatophores of Chirothrips manicatus Haliday (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Structures previously identified as spermatophores in Chirothrips manicatus are interpreted as genital armature. The male genitalia, including the armature, are described and figured.