Abstract
Thrips (Order Thysanoptera) are found worldwide and include almost 6000 species. Several of them are notorious for causing extensive crop damage (by feeding on leaf tissue or by vectoring viral disease). Their small size (usually less than 2 millimeters) and cryptic habits have facilited invasions and establishment in Europe in the wild or in greenhouses. Fifty-two alien species, belonging to four families have been recorded within Europe. Species introduced before 1950 mostly originate from America, tropical and subtropical areas and subsequent arrivals generally originate from Asia (and from America to some extent). Five countries host more than 30% of the European alien thrips fauna and two alien thrips occur in more than 50% of the countries and islands of Europe.
Highlights
Thrips (Order Thysanoptera) are ubiquitous, small to minute and slender-bodied insects with fringed wings
The 52 species of Thysanoptera alien to Europe belong to four different families (Table 13-1) but two of them (Phlaeothripidae and Thripidae) include more than 99% of the alien species
Panchaetothripinae are strongly reticulate thrips and are regarded as leaf feeders with a tropical or subtropical distribution. They are well represented amongst alien species because they are able to breed on ornemental plants in European greenhouses
Summary
Thrips (Order Thysanoptera) are ubiquitous, small to minute (a few millimeters long) and slender-bodied insects with fringed wings. Less than 1% of described thrips species are serious pests and most economic literature deals with just four species (Mound and Teulon 1995). The almost 6000 known species of thrips are at present arranged into two suborders (Terebrantia and Tubulifera) and nine families, but disagreement exists concerning the family classification system (Mound 2007). Phlaeothripidae is the largest family and the sole family in the suborder Tubulifera with about 3500 described species (Mound and Morris 2007). The other eight families are all included in the suborder Terebrantia (2400 species). The eighth family, with nearly 2100 known species is by far the largest within Terebrantia : Thripidae are found worldwide and include almost all of the pest species of thrips, many of them feed and breed on both leaves and in flowers
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