Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Body brown with red internal pigment; tarsi and apices of tibiae yellow, also antennal segments III–IV; fore wings brown but sharply white near base. Head with complex reticulate sculpture; three pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III anterolateral to ocellar triangle; inner margin of eyes with two pairs of stout postocular setae. Antennae 8-segmented, segments III–IV each with a curved simple sense cone. Pronotum strongly reticulate, with two pairs of prominent posteroangular setae. Metanotum reticulate; median setae small, arising near anterior margin. Fore wing pointed, curving forward; first and costal veins with long capitate setae, second vein without setae. Abdominal tergites II–VIII with median paired setae long and close together; tergite lateral thirds with irregular rows of prominent microtrichia; VIII with posteromarginal comb of microtrichia complete. Sternites with marginal setae arising in front of margin.
Male similar to female; sternites III–VIII each with up to 100 small circular pore plates.

Related species

Echinothrips comprises seven species, all from different parts of the Americas (Mound & Marullo, 1996).

Biological data

This polyphagous species breeds and apparently pupates on leaves, and is recorded as breeding on Impatiens (Balsaminaceae), Euphorbia pulcherrima (Euphorbiaceae), Dieffenbachia and Syngonium (Araceae), Cardamine hirsuta (Crucifeae), and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Malvaceae).

Distribution data

Not recorded from New Zealand, but considered a high risk potential invader. Originally from northeastern USA, but now widespread in greenhouses across Europe (Vierbergen et al., 2006), and established in Japan and China, but also recorded from Thailand, Java and northeastern Australia (Mound et al., 2013).

Family name

THRIPIDAE, THRIPINAE

Species name

Echinothrips americanus Morgan

Original name and synonyms

Echinothrips americanus Morgan, 1913: 14
Dictyothrips floridensis Watson, 1919: 2

References

Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.

Mound LA, Tree DC & Sartiami D (2013) The greenhouse pest, Echinothrips americanus Morgan, recorded for the first time from Australia and Java. Myrmecia 49: 54–57.

Vierbergen G, Cean M, Szellér IH, Jenser G, Masten T & Šimala M (2006) Spread of two thrips pests in Europe: Echinothrips americanus and Microcephalothrips abdominalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Acta Phytopathol. Entomol. Hungarica 41: 287–296.

Zhu L, Shi B, Gong Y, Wang Z, Kang Z & Mirab-balou M (2013) Host preference of Echinothrips americanus Morgan for different vegetables. Acta Ecologica Sinica 33: 1607–1614.