Entomologia Croatica, Vol. 24 No. 1, 2025.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17971/ec.24.1.4
The first records of two Asian Invasive pest thrips species in Croatia
Mladen Šimala
orcid.org/0000-0001-7281-0924
; Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, Centre for Plant Protection, Gorice 68b, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
*
Maja Pintar
orcid.org/0000-0002-9491-5070
; Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, Centre for Plant Protection, Gorice 68b, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Martina Kadoić Balaško
orcid.org/0000-0002-3717-5301
; Public Institution Zeleni prsten for the Management of Protected Areas and other Protected Natural Values in Zagreb County
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Thrips hawaiiensis Morgan, 1913 and T. parvispinus Karny, 1922 are tropical thrips species originating from Asia, taxonomically classified in family Thripidae and subfamily Thripinae. They were recorded for the first time in Croatia in 2023. Both species are extremely polyphagous pests reported on numerous host plants. They have been spreading rapidly worldwide in the past three decades, including some European countries. Their geographical distribution continues to expand, particularly due to the intensive international trade of plants and global climatic changes, but also because of their small size, high reproductive rate, short life cycle, cryptic behaviour and wide host range. Consequently, T. hawaiiensis and T. parvispinus have become important pests globally. Thrips specimens for laboratory analysis were collected during visual inspections of ornamental plants within the official national survey of EU quarantine thrips species Thrips palmi Karny, 1925 (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) performed in 2023 and 2024. Subsequently, collected specimens were identified to the species level based on morphological characters of adult thrips females by using relevant diagnostic keys. Species T. hawaiiensis and T. parvispinus were identified in samples collected on different ornamental plants in garden centres. In case of successful domestication, these newly recorded Asian invasive thrips species will pose a serious phytosanitary risk to agricultural crops in Croatia.
Keywords
Thysanoptera; Thrips hawaiiensis; Thrips parvispinus; first record; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
336350
URI
Publication date:
1.10.2025.
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