Page 27 - Volume 2,Issue 2, July 2009
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© Benaki Phytopathological Institute
Andjus
et al.
72
These data correspond well with what is
known on the bionomics of
E. americanus
(1,
6). The species possesses several character-
istics that could facilitate its establishment
in the European greenhouses; it is polypha-
gous, it reproduces with facultative arrhe-
notoky, has a short developmental time and
is polyvoltine. The introduction in an area of
the so-called 'opportunistic thrips' becomes
easier if they exhibit any of the above men-
tioned properties (4).
Damage results from the sucking of
adults and larvae. The symptoms of infes-
tation on leaves appear as small chlorotic
areas and silvering. The aesthetic appear-
ance of the plants is also affected due to the
black fecal material present on leaves. How-
ever, compared to the western flower thrips,
Frankliniella occidentalis
(Pergande), the di-
rect damage caused by
E. americanus
is con-
siderably smaller. There is no evidence of
plant viruses being transmitted by this spe-
cies (1).
E. americanus
is known to be more sus-
ceptible to insecticides compared to the
western flower thrips and thus, it can be rel-
atively easily controlled with most of the in-
secticides commonly used against these in-
sects (3). Some experts claim that, in the
absence of effective predators and parasi-
toids, this Thysanoptera species could be-
come a considerably important pest in Euro-
pean greenhouses within a rather short time
(10). Among the significant potential preda-
tors of
E. americanus
,
Franklinothrips vespi-
formis
Crawford (5) and
Macrolophus caligi-
nosus
Wagner (7) are often mentioned.
It can be assumed that this first de-
tection of
E. americanus
in Serbia is a rath-
er early one and the pest has probably not
yet spread through greenhouses to a great-
er extent. This provides an opportunity to
take the measures needed in order to pre-
vent its further spread. In addition and given
the lack of serious threat posed by
E. amer-
icanus
, this species may be an ideal target
for research on biological control methods.
More specifically, it is well known that
con-
trol methods employing predators of thrips
give
s
atisfactory results only when the pop-
ulation of the pest is low (2).
Should this
work for species such as
E. americanus
, then
perhaps these new control methods could
then be extrapolated to more aggressive,
resistant and damaging thrips.
Literature Cited
Collins, D.W. 1998. Recent interceptions of
1.
Echi-
nothrips americanus
Morgan (Thysanoptera,
Thripidae) imported into England.
Entomolo-
gist's Monthly Magazine
, 134: 1-4.
Jarosik, V. and Pliva, J. 1995. Assessment of
2.
Am-
blyseius barkeri
(Acarina: Phytoseiidae) as a con-
trol agent for thrips on greenhouse cucumbers.
Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae
, 59: 177-
186.
Łabanowski, G. 2007. Poinsettia thrips (
3.
Echino-
thrips americanus
Morgan) - occurrence in Po-
land and possibilities of control.
Progress in
Plant Protection
, 47: 289-302 (in Polish).
Mound, L.A. and Teulon, D.A.J. 1995. Thys-
4.
anoptera as Phytophagous Opportunists. In
PARKER, BL.
et al
. (eds)
Thrips Biology and Man-
agement
. New York: Plenum Press, p. 3-19.
Nedstam, B. 2001. Tripsarter i gron innemiljo.
5.
Växtskyddsnotiser
, 65: 6-9.
Oetting, R.D. and Beshear, R.J. 1993. Biolo-
6.
gy of the greenhouse pest
Echinothrips amer-
icanus
Morgan (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).
Zo-
ology
(
Journal of Pure and Applied Zoology
), 4:
307-315.
van Schelt, J., Hoogerbrugge, H., van Houten, Y.
7.
and van Bolckmans, K. 2002. Biological control
and survival of
Echinothrips americanus
in pep-
per.
Bulletin OILB/SROP
, 25: 285-288.
Varga, L. and Fedor, P.J. 2008. First interception
8.
of the greenhouse pest
Echinothrips americanus
Morgan, 1913 (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Slo-
vak Republic.
Plant Protection Science
, 44: 155–
158.
Vierbergen, G. 1997. Amerikaanse trips. Nieuwe
9.
belager in paprika.
Groenten + Fruit/Glasgroent-
en
, 7: 12-13.
Vierbergen, G. 1998.
10.
Echinothrips americanus
Morgan, a new thrips in Dutch greenhouses
(Thysanoptera: Thripidae).
Proceedings of the
section Experimental and Applied Entomology of
the Netherlands Entomological Society (N.E.V.)
, 9:
155-160.
zur Strassen, R. 2003. Die terebranten Thys-
11.
anopteren Europas und des Mittelmeer-Gebiet-
es.
Die Tierwelt Deutschlands
, 74: 1-277.
Received: 19 March 2009; Accepted: 7 May 2009
