Page 26 - Volume 2,Issue 2, July 2009
Basic HTML Version
© Benaki Phytopathological Institute
Hellenic Plant Protection Journal
2:
71-73, 2009
SHORT COMMUNICATION
First record of
Echinothrips americanus
in Serbia
L. Andjus
1
, M. Jović
1
and S. Trdan
2
Summary
In 2005,
Echinothrips americanus
Morgan (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) was first recorded in
Serbia. Adults and larvae were found on leaves of
Syngonium
sp. in one of the largest florist shops in
Belgrade.
E. americanus
exhibits several advantageous properties, which made its introduction into
Serbia easier. The species causes direct damage to the leaves of its host plants. Compared to the west-
ern flower thrips,
Frankliniella occidentalis
(Pergande),
E. americanus
is less resistant to insecticides and
less able to inhabit new areas. For this reason we suggest the use of environmentally friendly control
methods for the pest species in question.
ornamentals. The most important hosts of
E. americanus
in England are those of the
genera
Syngonium
,
Dieffenbachia
,
Acalypha
,
Dracaena
,
Fatsia
,
Ficus
,
Hibiscus
and
Spath-
iphyllum
(1). In The Netherlands this thrips
represents an ever increasing threat for the
sweet pepper grown in greenhouses. Gen-
erally, the host plant range of
E. americanus
is more typical of the thrips species of the
Panchaetothripinae subfamily than that of
the Thripinae subfamily (9).
On December 1, 2005 a large population
of thrips was detected on leaves of
Syngo-
nium
sp. in one of the largest florist shops
in Belgrade. The origin of the plants was un-
known. More than 20 adults and larvae were
recorded on each plant. Adults and larvae
were collected and stored in 70% ethanol.
The specimens, which were deposited in the
thysanopterological collection of the Natu-
ral History Museum in Belgrade, were iden-
tified as
E. americanus,
based on their mor-
phological characteristics. For the purpose
of specimen identification, the zur Strassen's
dichotomous taxonomic key (11) was used.
The thrips were most probably introduced
into the country with plant material. This is
the first record of this species in Serbia.
The thrips (more frequently present as
adults rather than larvae) were more nu-
merous on the lower leaf surfaces and only
some individuals were found on flowers.
E. americanus
Morgan (Thysanoptera: Thrip-
idae) is the only representative of the genus
recorded outside the Nearctic region. It was
first recorded in southeastern USA (6). Today
in that region the insect is primarily a pest
of greenhouse ornamentals, though under
warmer climatic conditions it can also over-
winter in the open, mostly on weeds in the
forests (10). There are references to its occur-
rence in California, Mexico, Hawaii and the
Bermuda islands (1). The first significant oc-
currence of
E. americanus
in Europe was re-
ported in 1993 in The Netherlands, where
the species was found on plants of the gen-
era
Syngonium
and
Homalomena
(10). The
pest was later recorded in England (1) and in
at least nine other European countries (8).
The thrips has a wide host plant range
and is extremely polyphagous. It prefers
plants of the Araceae and Balsaminaceae
families, though it has been found on plants
belonging to 24 families (10). In the USA, the
most common hosts are those belonging to
the genera
Dendranthema
,
Euphorbia
,
Impa-
tiens
and
Medicago
as well as some woody
1
Natural History Museum, Njegoševa 51, SER-11000
Belgrade, Serbia.
2
University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Dept. of
Agronomy, Chair of Phytomedicine, Agricultural En-
gineering, Crop Production, Grassland and Pasture
Management, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1111 Ljubljana,
Slovenia.
Corresponding author:
