Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation

Pest categorisation of Thrips palmi

EFSA Panel on Plant Health (EFSA PLH Panel) et al. EFSA J. .

Abstract

The EFSA Panel on Plant Health (PLH) performed a pest categorisation of Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), for the EU. T. palmi is listed in Annex IAI of 2000/29 EC. Using molecular methods, cryptic speciation has been shown although no new species from the group have been formally described. Here, we consider T. palmi sensu lato as a defined species native to southern Asia, which has spread to tropical and subtropical countries in Asia, the Pacific, North, Central and South America, Africa and Australia. T. palmi has been reported from many different hosts in 20 botanical families; Cucurbitaceae, Solanaceae and Orchidaceae are of primary importance. T. palmi has been intercepted many times on plants from these families. Wild and cultivated hosts are widespread in the EU. However, as a subtropical and tropical species, only a small area of the EU provides climatic conditions where establishment may be possible outdoors. Several host plants are cultivated in glasshouses where conditions may be more favourable for establishment in year-round crops. There have been past outbreaks of T. palmi in EU glasshouses and outdoors in Portugal. T. palmi causes feeding and oviposition damage and populations in Asia are competent vectors of tospoviruses. Impacts could occur on many hosts, especially Cucurbitaceae, Solanaceae and ornamental plants particularly in glasshouses. Phytosanitary measures aim to prevent the entry of T. palmi specifically on cut flowers of Orchidaceae and fruits of Momordica and Solanum melongena. The species meets all the criteria assessed by the PLH Panel to satisfy the definition of a Union quarantine pest, while it does not satisfy all the criteria for it to be regarded as a Union regulated non-quarantine pest (RNQP).

Keywords: European Union; Thysanoptera; melon thrips; pest risk; plant health; plant pest; virus vector.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Life cycle of Thripidae (e.g. Thrips palmi)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Global distribution of Thrips palmi (EPPO global database) with the Tropic of Cancer (23.5oN) and Tropic of Capricorn (23.5oS) marked
Figure 3
Figure 3
EU interceptions of Thrips palmi (black) and Thysanoptera not identified to species from countries where T. palmi is known to occur and have previously been intercepted (grey), 1995–2018
Figure 4
Figure 4
Köppen–Geiger climate type Cfa (Cook et al., 2013)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Akella SVS, Kirk WDJ, Lu Y, Murai T, Walters KFA and Hamilton JGC, 2014. Identification of the aggregation pheromone of the Melon Thrips, Thrips palmi . PLoS ONE, 9, e103315. 10.1371/journal.pone.0103315 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ananthakrishnan TN, 1955. Notes on Thrips palmi Karny, attacking Sesamum indicum . Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 52, 951–953.
    1. Bartlett PW, 1993. Lessons from plant health experiences. In: Ebbels DL (ed.). Plant Health and the European Single Market. British Crop Protection Council Monograph no. 54, Farnham, Surrey. pp. 223–232.
    1. Bhatti JS, 1980. Species of the genus Thrips from India (Thysanoptera). Systematic Entomology, 5, 109–166.
    1. Blaser S, Diem H, von Felten A, Gueuning M, Andreou M, Boonham N, Tomlinson J, Müller P, Utzinger J, Freya JE and Bühlmann A, 2018. From laboratory to point of entry: development and implementation of a loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)‐based genetic identification system to prevent introduction of quarantine insect species. Pest Management Science, 74, 1504–1512. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources