Thysanoptera Collected during Bloom on White and Colored Disposable Sticky Cards in Florida Citrus Groves

Abstract

During February through April between 1990 and 1993, 86 species of thrips (Thysanoptera: Terebrantia and Tubulifera) were identified from disposable colored sticky cards in navel orange groves in Polk and Osceola counties (46 species) and Hendry and Lee counties (75 species) in central and southwestern Florida, respectively. Only 33 species were collected in both central and southwestern Florida. Of the 86 species identified, 37 are phytophagous of which 12 feed on plants of the Graminae, 17 are known predators or species belonging in genera that include predators, 28 species are fungivorous or saprophytic and the feeding habits of the remaining 4 species are unknown. Frankliniella bispinosa (Morgan) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) was the most prevalent species on sticky cards during 1990 with frequencies of 82 and 79% of slide-mounted specimens identified from the Hendry Co. sites, respectively. During 1991, F. bispinosa accounted for 91 and 96%, respectively, of the slide-mounted specimens from the Chain-O-Lakes and Raley sites in central Florida. During 1992, F. bispinosa accounted for 95% of the identified Frankliniella species from the southwest Florida site compared with 5% of F. kelliae Sakimura. During 1993, F. bispinosa accounted for 96 and 98% of the slide-mounted thrips identified from two series of experiments using different colored cards in southwest and central Florida, respectively. During 1990 in southwest Florida, other thrips species collected from sticky cards with frequencies of 1% or more included: Arorathrips spiniceps (Hood) (3%), Microcephalothrips abdominalis (Crawford, D. L.) (1%), Adraneothrips pallidus (Watson) (1%), Gastrothrips callipus Hood (3%), Hoplandrothrips raptor (Crawford) (4%), Leptothrips cassiae Watson (1%), L. macroocellatus Watson (2%), and Neurothrips magnafemoralis (Hinds) (1%). During 1991 in central Florida, other thrips species collected from sticky cards with frequencies of 1% or more included: A. spiniceps (2%) and M. abdominalis (1%). In 1992, thrips species collected in Hendry Co. included: A. spiniceps (2%), F. insularis (Franklin) (10%), F. kelliae Sakimura (4%), M. abdominalis (3%), and Adraneothrips pallidus (4%).