Plant Growers Beware! Another Exotic Pest Has Arrived
August 30, 2020 Florida is no stranger to invasive plant pests and diseases. In the most recent occurrence of this fact, a sample of thrips collected in a Central Florida greenhouse on Hoya and Anthurium was submitted to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI) and later identified as Thrips parvispinus (Karny) Thripidae. The find was not only a first for Florida, but also for the continental U.S.
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This species is native to the Asian tropics. However, during the last 20 years, the species has been expanding its range and is now found in Greece, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Tanzania, Mauritius, Reunion, and Hawaii.
According to FDACS-DPI officials, barcode sequences from specimens collected in Orange County, FL, are identical to those found in Thrips parvispinus populations in Indonesia.
T. parvispinus feeds on many plants, but it is most damaging to ornamentals in Europe and Indonesia, papaya in Hawaii and Indonesia, as well as peppers and other solanaceous crops in Indonesia.
FDACS-DPI recently sent posted a Pest Alert regarding T. parvispinus, which includes the following specs:
IDENTIFICATION: Females and males differ in size and color. Females are nearly 1 mm long, with brown head and prothorax, yellowish brown meso- and metathorax and black abdomen; forewings are dark, with light-colored base; the third antennal segment and the base of the fourth and fifth segments are light colored (either yellow or white). Males are 0.6 mm long and evenly yellow.
In Anthurium, the thrips is found on either side of leaves. In Hoya, individuals can be seen wandering all over the plant, but tend to concentrate on growing buds. The minute size of the species makes it difficult to detect, even when damage to plants is evident.
HOSTS AND DAMAGE: T. parvispinus is polyphagous with the preferred hosts varying across its geographic distribution. In regions where the species has been long established, the crops most affected are papaya, peppers, potatoes, eggplants, beans, shallots, and strawberries. In Indonesia, field pepper yield losses due to T. parvispinus reach 23%.
Most damage is produced by direct feeding of larvae and adults on leaves and growing buds.
T. parvispinus also can produce important damage to ornamentals such as Dahlia, Chrysanthemum, Gardenia, Dipladenia, and Ficus. T. parvispinus is not known to transmit tospoviruses. In Florida, T. parvispinus has been found only on Anthurium and Hoya growing in greenhouses. Damage to Anthurium is most evident on leaves. Varieties ‘Cyrano’, ‘Charade White’, ‘Zizou’, and ‘Sierra White’ are most susceptible to attack. In Hoya, thrips attack and eventually kill the buds.
Under controlled conditions on chili pepper (Caspicum annuum L.) in greenhouses, the life cycle is completed in 13 to 14 days. Eggs are inserted into leaves; after four to five days, larvae hatch to feed on leaves and flowers. Larvae go through two molts in four to five days, mature and pupate. The two pupal stages last two to three days. Reproduction is sexual and on average females lay 15 eggs. Mated females live nine days. Adult males live six days.
Hand collection of the pest is the most effective, with an aspirator either directly from leaves, buds and flowers, beating plants on a light color tray or collecting young, curled leaves directly into alcohol. Suspects should be submitted to the DPI for confirmation.
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