The European and North American greenhouse pest Leucothrips nigripennis Reuter, the fern thrips (Terebrantia: Thripidae), lives outdoors in India

Abstract

The European and North American greenhouse pest Leucothrips nigripennis Reuter 1904 is now found to live outdoors in India. The nominal species Sporangiothrips acuminatus Daniel 1985 from South India is here recognized as a junior synonym (syn. nov.) of nigripennis, the type species of Leucothrips. The genus Sporangiothrips Daniel 1985 is an objective synonym (syn. nov.) of Leucothrips Reuter 1904. The so far known existence of the species in hothouses in temperate zones in Europe and North America thus owes its origin to natural populations in South Asia. The south Indian area of Coonoor (near Ootacamund) and Kodaikanal could have been the centre of dissemination of the species by human commerce. L. nigripennis was so far very poorly known and, being the type species of Leucothrips, the genus too is very unsatisfactorily understood. As the oldest described genus among the group of 3 closely related and unsatisfactorily differentiated genera in the subfamily Dendrothripinae, an understanding of Leucothrips is pivotal to any study of the relationships among these genera. L. nigripennis is therefore described in detail, along with synonymy, distribution, and host plants.