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Review
. 2022 Jan 5;13(1):61.
doi: 10.3390/insects13010061.

Problems with the Concept of "Pest" among the Diversity of Pestiferous Thrips

Laurence A Mound  1 , Zhaohong Wang  2 , Élison F B Lima  3 , Rita Marullo  4
Affiliations
Review

Problems with the Concept of "Pest" among the Diversity of Pestiferous Thrips

Laurence A Mound et al. Insects. .

Abstract

Almost all of the thrips species that are considered pests are members of a single subfamily of Thripidae, the Thripinae, a group that represents less than 30% of the species in the insect Order Thysanoptera. Three of the five major Families of Thysanoptera (Aeolothripidae, Heterothripidae, Melanthripidae) are not known to include any pest species. The Phlaeothripidae that includes more than 50% of the 6300 thrips species listed includes very few that are considered to be pests. Within the Thripidae, the members of the three smaller subfamilies, Panchaetothripinae, Dendrothripinae and Sericothripinae, include remarkably few species that result in serious crop losses. It is only in the subfamily Thripinae, and particularly among species of the Frankliniella genus-group and the Thrips genus-group that the major thrips species are found, including all but one of the vectors of Orthotospovirus infections. It is argued that the concept of pest is a socio-economic problem, with the pest status of any particular species being dependent on geographical area, cultivation practices, and market expectations as much as the intrinsic biology of any thrips species.

Keywords: Brazil; China; Frankliniella; Thripinae; Thrips; pest thrips species.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Aggregations of adult thrips. (A) Black Plague Thrips (Haplothrips froggatti) on cotton bud. (B) Thrips parvispinus on garden Lily flower.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Geographical origins of Orthotospovirus vector species.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Feeding damage by thrips. (A) Biltothrips minutus markings on leaf of Taro (Colocasia esculenta). (B) Thrips palmi damage to aubergine crop (Solanum melongena). (C) Dendrothrips ornatus on Ligustrum leaf. (D) Damage to Capsicum fruits by Franklliniella occidentalis and Orthotospovirus. (E) Surface damage to grapes (Vitis vinifera) by Scirtothrips dorsalis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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