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O uso de armadilhas é um método prático e econômico para realizar a captura e o monitoramento de tripes em cultivos de morangueiro. Este estudo objetivou avaliar a eficiência de captura de tripes em armadilhas do tipo Moericke de diferentes tonalidades de azul (clara, intermediária e escura). As coletas dos tripes ocorreram de outubro de 2022 a outubro de 2023 em cultivo convencional semi-hidropônico de morangueiro dos cultivares San Andreas e Monterrey. As armadilhas foram distribuídas completamente ao acaso, dispostas na mesma altura da bancada de cultivo, com quatro repetições por tonalidade de azul. Para a contagem dos tripes, amostras de 20mL de água foram coletadas semanalmente do fundo de cada bacia. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância pelo teste F e as médias comparadas pelo teste de Tukey (p≤0,05). A armadilha Moericke de coloração azul-clara foi mais eficaz na captura de tripes em cultivo semi-hidropônico de morangueiro.

This work records the presence of 13 species of tubuliferan thrips from the Maltese Islands. Eleven of these species, namely Bolothrips dentipes, B. insularis, Priesneriella mavromoustakisi, Gynaikothrips uzeli, Haplothrips acanthoscelis, H. aculeatus, H. setiger, H. tritici, Karnyothrips flavipes, Liothrips reuteri and Neoheegeria dalmatica are new records for the Maltese Islands. Two species: Gynaikothrips ficorum and Karnyothrips flavipes can be described as subcosmopolitan in distribution, another three species: Haplothrips aculeatus, H. setiger and H. tritici are distributed across the Holarctic and Palaearctic regions, while a further seven: Bolothrips dentipes, B. insularis, Haplothrips acanthoscelis, Liothrips oleae, L. reuteri, Neoheegeria dalmatica and Priesneriella mavromoustakisi have a European and/or Mediterranean distribution. Gynaikothrips ficorum and G. uzeli are considered as alien species. A key to the Tubulifera of the Maltese Islands as well as chorological data for these recorded species are provided in this work.

New host wasps attacked by Mirothrips arbiter (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) are recorded and their possible feeding on fungi and mites in colonies of Polistes melanosoma and Polistes ferreri is evaluated. No predation events on mites or fungal ingestion were observed, indicating that these thrips only use wasp eggs as food. Thrips do not parasitize wasps’ bodies, they only live at the expense of their colonies, where they find food and shelter. However, as these insects feed on the immature stages of the wasps, it is possible that they cause or accelerate colony decline. Given this, we can say that the ecological relationship between thrips and social wasps is that of social parasitism, that is, thrips are parasites of wasps colonies, they depend directly on them for their survival and cause damage to them. From our findings, the number of host wasp species of this thrips rose to five, all belonging to the Polistinae subfamily.

Ants patrol foliage and exert a strong selective pressure on herbivorous insects, being their primary predators. As ants are chemically oriented, some organisms that interact with them (myrmecophiles) use chemical strategies mediated by their cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) to deal with ants. Thus, a better understanding of the ecology and evolution of the mutualistic interactions between myrmecophiles and ants depends on the accurate recognition of these chemical strategies. Few studies have examined whether treehoppers may use an additional strategy called chemical camouflage to reduce ant aggression, and none considered highly polyphagous pest insects. We analyzed whether the chemical similarity of the CHC profiles of three host plants from three plant families (Fabaceae, Malvaceae, and Moraceae) and the facultative myrmecophilous honeydew-producing treehopper Aetalion reticulatum (Hemiptera: Aetalionidae), a pest of citrus plants, may play a role as a proximate mechanism serving as a protection against ant attacks on plants. We found a high similarity (>80%) between the CHCs of the treehoppers and two of their host plants. The treehoppers acquire CHCs through their diet, and the chemical similarity varies according to host plant. Chemical camouflage on host plants plays a role in the interaction of treehoppers with their ant mutualistic partners.

Thirty-nine species of terebrantian Thysanoptera belonging to four families and 22 genera are here recorded from the Maltese Islands. Of these, 33 represent new records to this archipelago. Thrips were collected from 65 different locations over a seven-year period, covering the main habitat types found across the Maltese Islands, namely steppe, garigue, maquis and woodland, but also sand dunes and saltmarshes as well as roadsides, private and public gardens, greenhouses and cultivated fields. An illustrated dichotomous key to identify the Terebrantia of the Maltese Islands is presented. Chorological data for the species researched in the current study shows that the majority of these insects are of a European Mediterranean origin, though the geographical distribution of some of them extends to Africa and the Middle East. Seven species associated with agricultural commodities were found to be of alien origin; however they were locally found in small numbers and do not pose a threat to horticulture.

We present here the first checklist of the thrips of the Brazilian Pampa, which is a grassland region with sparse shrub and tree formations. This work involved observations of specimens deposited in scientific collections and surveys carried out in South Brazil in the last two decades. We listed 128 named species of Thysanoptera from the Pampa, with six new records from Brazil: Allothrips megacephalus megacephalus Hood, 1908; Aneristothrips rostratus De Santis, 1957; Compsothrips hoodi (De Santis, 1958); Holopothrips urinator De Santis, 1957; Rhinoceps jansei Faure, 1949 and Treherniella atrata De Santis, 1963.

The capture efficiency of six colored sticky traps (blue, green, orange, purple, white, and yellow) was tested in mango agroecosystems of Mexico with the purpose to: (i) document the diversity of Thysanoptera; (ii) determine the attraction of phytophagous thrips; (iii) assess the impact of these traps on beneficial insects; and (iv) assess the relationship between the density of Frankliniella thrips captured on traps and those found in the inflorescences. The use of colored sticky traps has revealed a great diversity of thrips and beneficial insects in the mango agroecosystem. A total of 16,441 thrips were caught on sticky traps throughout the sampling period, of which 16,251 (98.8%) were thrips adults and 190 (1.2%) larvae. Forty one species of thrips were collected either from sticky traps or from inflorescences. Of these, 32 species feed either on leaves or flowers. Frankliniella cephalica, F. gardeniae and F. invasor, were the most abundant species. Scirtothrips citri and S. manihoti were also captured among other phytophagous thrips. The white trap captured significantly more Frankliniella species and also had the smallest capture of beneficial insects. Yellow traps were the most attractive for Scirtothrips species, with low detrimental effects on insect pollinators, although high impact on natural enemies. Thrips species captured on sticky traps showed a low and non-significantly correlation with respect to the density of thrips in mango inflorescences. Although sticky traps did not predict the density of Frankliniella populations in mango inflorescences, the study represents a substantial progress in the use of color traps in mango agroecosystems. Colored sticky traps would be a good option for monitoring mango thrips to detect them at earlier stages of infestation to implement management tactics and avoid the building-up of thrips populations.