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.     

Ecological studies on Thrips imaginis Bagnall (Thysanoptera) in flowers of Echium plantagineum L. in Australia

Aspects of the ecology of Thrips imaginis Bagnall in flowers of Echium plantagineum L. are described and subjected to experimental analysis. Thrips eggs were mostly laid in plant parts that were not lost when the short-lived flowers abscissed. The abundance of adults and larvae in flowers from the bud stage through to abscission was determined. Larvae usually required more than one flower to complete development and so had to migrate between flowers to survive. Larvae generally remained between the bases of the stamen filaments when in direct sunlight, but moved along the filaments to the anthers for rapid pollen feeding during low light intensity, especially at night. There was little spatial and temporal overlap between thrips larvae and honeybees in the flowers. Ants can cause much damage to the flowers and can feed on thrips. Pollen feeding of T. imaginis is described. The species of pollen grain affects feeding, and this may influence breeding success. Low u.v.-reflecting white, blue and yellow water traps caught more T. imaginis that green, red, black and high u.v.-reflecting white. These results agree well with the numbers of adults in several native and non-native flowers of various colours. Adult female thrips colour variation is correlated with for ewing length, and hence reflects factors acting on a pre-adult stage.     

Species of the genus Thrips from India (Thysanoptera)

Abstract. The species of Thrips Linnaeus from the Indian region are revised, and a key is provided to the thirty-three valid species, including eight new species and one new subspecies, Eight species customarily included in Taenio-thrips Amyot & Serville are here included in Thrips and six species are newly placed in synonymy: Thrips hawaiiensis (Morgan) (= Thrips exilicornis Hood from Africa); Thrips palmi Karny (= leucadophilus Priesner from Sudan); Thrips brunneus Anan. & Jaga. ( =speratus zur Strassen from South West Africa); Thrips tabaci Lind.(= kallarensis (Anan.) from India); Thrips sumatrensis Priesner (= lucaenae Moulton from Guam); Thrips simplex (Morison) (= Taeniothrips quinani Moulton from South Africa). Isoneurothrips Bagnall is regarded as a synonym of Thrips , and Isothrips is treated as a synonym rather than as a sub-genus. Two nominal species, beharensis (Ram. & Marg.) and rostratus (Ram. & Marg.) are considered unrecognizable at present.     

A Trichodorus (Triplonchida: Trichodoridae) Nematode from Thrips (Thysanoptera: Panchaetothripinae)

A thrips insect Caliothrips sp. (Thysanoptera: Panchaetothripinae) from persimmon fruit (Ebenaceae: Diospyros sp.) from an unknown origin, possibly Asia, was intercepted in a passenger bag in November 2012 at the Peace Arch Border Crossing from Canada to Blaine, WA, by a USDA-APHIS-PPQ port inspector. Nematodes were attached to the abdomen of the female insect and sent to us in saline. Seven nematodes (five females, two males) were measured and these and others were processed for permanent slides. An adult female and a female juvenile were prepared for PCR. Morphologically these nematodes belonged to the Trichodorus sparsus group, and the 28S rDNA D2-D3 sequence showed greatest similarity to Trichodorus paragiennensis (94%) and T. giennensis (93%), with greatest morphological similarity to the latter species. Among other morphological differences, the innermost uterus width is wider than in related species. Trichodorus spp. are normally found in soil, so this is the first population seen in the atypical habitat of an insect. Morphological and molecular characteristics of Trichodorus sp. are presented, but a putative new species name is not currently advisable because of relatively poor condition of specimens. Ecological associations are also discussed.     

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.     

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.     

A New Method for Mounting Thrips (Thysanoptera) on Slides

Entomologists that frequently work with thrips often find mounting of their material by well known methods too complicated and slow. A new method is described here that is the shortest possible, and is still very reliable and safe in everyday work.     

First Record of the Thrips Bolacothrips jordani Uzel, 1895 (Thysanoptera,Thripidae) in Russia

Entomological Review - Data on the first record of Bolacothrips jordani in Russia (Kaliningrad Province) found on Alopecurus pratensis and Elytrigia repens are reported.     

Thrips (Thysanoptera, Insecta) from the Rovno amber, Eocene of Ukraine

Seventy-six thrips were discovered in Rovno amber. Among these, 67 were identified to suborder, 52, to family, 45, to genus, and 41, to species level. In total, five species, six genera, five families, and two suborders are recorded. No undescribed taxa have been found so far. All the identified thrips, except those of the genus Phloeothrips, belong to fossil taxa, previously known only from the Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers. However, the composition of species in the Rovno amber is highly unusual due to domination of Praedendrothrips avus Priesner, 1924. This species, rare in the Baltic amber, constitutes 49% of all the Rovno records. Thus, the Rovno amber, in contrast to the Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers, is characterized by poor taxonomic diversity of thrips and presence of a clearly dominant species.     

Detection of Gene Flow from Sexual to Asexual Lineages in Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Populations of Thrips tabaci are known to have two sympatric but genetically isolated reproductive modes, arrhenotoky (sexual reproduction) and thelytoky (asexual reproduction). Herein, we report behavioral, ecological and genetic studies to determine whether there is gene flow between arrhenotokous and thelytokous T. tabaci. We did not detect significant preference by arrhenotokous males to mate with females of a particular reproductive mode, nor did we detect significant behavioral differences between arrhenotokous males mated with arrhenotokous or thelytokous females in their pre-copulation, copulation duration and mating frequency. Productive gene transfer resulting from the mating between the two modes was experimentally confirmed. Gene transfer from arrhenotokous T. tabaci to thelytokous T. tabaci was further validated by confirmation of the passage of the arrhenotokous male-originated nuclear gene (histone H3 gene) allele to the F₂ generation. These behavioral, ecological and genetic studies confirmed gene transfer from the sexual arrhenotokous mode to the asexual thelytokous mode of T. tabaci in the laboratory. These results demonstrate that asexual T. tabaci populations may acquire genetic variability from sexual populations, which could offset the long-term disadvantage of asexual reproduction.     

Antixenosis and antibiosis of common beans to Thrips palmi Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Antixenosis and antibiosis in the resistance of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to the melon thrips, Thrips palmi Karny, were investigated under laboratory and field conditions. Experiments were conducted for four moderately resistant genotypes ('Brunca', BH-130, EMP 486, and FEB 115) in comparison with one susceptible genotype (APN 18). Multiple-choice tests recorded most thrips on EMP 486 and least on FEB 115. Dual-choice tests conducted in both laboratory and field confirmed the antixenotic effect of FEB 115 and the attractant effect of EMP 486 on thrips. These results demonstrate the significance of antixenosis in the resistance of common beans to T. palmi. Life-table studies showed significant differences in egg duration, immature and adult survivorship, female body length and longevity, daily oviposition rate, and total fecundity among the bean genotypes. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r(m)) and its associated population parameters varied significantly with the bean genotype on which T. palmi cohorts were reared. Based on mean r(m) values, the five bean genotypes can be divided into two groups, with BH-130 and 'Brunca' being less favorable for the population growth of thrips than EMP 486 and FEB 115; the latter were comparable to the susceptible genotype APN 18. These life-table results indicate the role of antibiosis in enhancing the resistance of common beans to T. palmi.     

中国直鬃蓟马属种类及二新种记述（缨翅目：蓟马科）

直鬃蓟马属Stenchaetothrips是由Bagnall(1926)以Stenchaetothrips melanurusBagnall为模式种建立的,Mound(1968)曾将该属列为Baliothrips Uzel,1895属的异名。Bhatti和Mound(1980)检验了有关模式标本后认为,Stenchaetothrips属与Baliothrips属实为两个不同的属,同时指出,Priesner(1957)根据成虫中、后胸腹板内骨不具小刺(spinula)为主要特征建立的Chloethrips属,应为Stenchaetothrips属的异名。     

Key to the fungus-feeder Phlaeothripinae species from China(Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)

In China, 31 genera and 95 species of fungivorous Phlaeothripinae are recorded here, of which 7 species are newly recorded and illustrated. An illustrated identification key to the 94 species is also provided, together with the information of specimens examined, and distribution of each species.     

Economic thresholds of Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) for eggplants in a greenhouse

Thrips palmi Karny has recently been implicated in damage to eggplant fruits. This thrips causes cosmetic scars on and deforms fruits, thus lowering their market value. To investigate the relationship between the density of thrips and the resulting damage, experimental plots with initial release densities of 0, 20, 40, 70, and 100 adults thrips per plot were established under greenhouse conditions. Thrips density (for flower sampling = x ₁; for sticky trap = x ₂) was monitored using flower sampling and blue sticky trap counts, and was found to be directly related to the proportion of damaged-fruits (y) and the reduction in fruit yield: significant relationships were found for the flower samples (y = 1.2261x ₁ ? 0.6232, r ² = 0.8582) and for the trap catches (y = 11.667 ln(x ₂) ? 9.5, r ² = 0.8896). The proportion of damaged fruits that could be tolerated from an economic perspective, based on the cost of controlling the thrips population chemically and the market value of the fruit, was 6.67–11.76 %; this translated into economic thresholds of 1.05–1.5 adults and/or larvae of T. palmi per flower or 4.91–10.17 adults T. palmi per four-day sticky card count.     

黄胸蓟马触角感器的形态和分布

[目的]本研究旨在明确黄胸蓟马Thrips hawaiiensis各个发育阶段触角感器类型、形态和分布.[方法]运用扫描电镜技术观察黄胸蓟马雌雄成虫、若虫、预蛹、蛹触角的形态结构以及触角上感器类型、形态和分布.[结果]黄胸蓟马成虫触角由柄节、梗节和鞭节3个部分组成,其中长的鞭节分为5个鞭小节(Ⅰ-Ⅴ).雌成虫触角平均长...