Studies on Kelly's citrus thrips, Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae): sex attractants, host associations and country of origin

Abstract

Under controlled conditions of 25°C and 14 h light, adult Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) were observed to have a peak mating time at 17:00 h, this almost coinciding with the time of minimum feeding. Filter papers on which males had walked attracted both sexes, the attraction being strongest when the odour was collected during the mating period and subsequently offered during this period. Field observations indicate that males aggregate and that females approach such aggregations for mating. In Australia, in the vicinity of citrus orchards, this thrips is associated particularly with nonAustralian perfumed white flowers. However, recent collecting indicates that the species is widespread in south-eastern coastal areas far distant from citrus cultivation, in the flowers of an Australian native plant, Myoporum insulare. Despite this host plant evidence, morphological evidence continues to suggest retention of the species in the northern hemisphere genus Pezothrips Karny, and thus the country of origin of the pest remains in doubt.

An analysis of Thysanoptera associated with citrus flowers in Antalya, Turkey: Composition, distribution, abundance and pest status of species

“…Species of the genus Pezothrips are found only in the Western Palaearctic, with the exception of P. kellyanus which was described from Australia in 1916(zur Strassen, 2000Webster et al, 2006). The first record of P. kellyanus from the Western Palaearctic Region was from Greece based on the specimens collected in 1981 (zur Strassen, 1986;Palmer, 1987).…”

“…The most common damage is, however, inflicted in the form of scabby, grayish or silvery scars on the rind which results in a fruit of lower market grade and value (Parker and Skinner, 1997). Major thrips pests of citrus leading to such blemishes are citrus thrips Scirtothrips citri (Moulton) in California (Anonymous, 1984), South African citrus thrips Scirtothrips aurantii Faure in South Africa (Grov'e et al, 2000), yellow tea thrips Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood in East Asia (Masui, 2007) and Kelly's citrus thrips Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Australia (Webster et al, 2006), New Zealand (Froud et al, 2001) and in two Mediterranean islands Sicily (Marullo, 1998) and Cyprus (Vassiliou, 2007). The greenhouse thrips Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis Bouche (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) which causes discoloration of rind was also reported as an occasional pest of citrus along with the species mentioned in California, Florida, Australia, New Zealand and some Mediterrranean countries.…”

The aggregation pheromones of thrips (Thysanoptera) and their potential for pest management

“…In Australia, live males of F. schultzei increased trap catches of adult females but not adult males (Milne et al, 2002(Milne et al, , 2007, whereas in a Y-tube olfactometer, both males and females responded to the odour of live males of T. palmi (Akella et al, 2014). Filter paper exposed to adult male P. kellyanus was responded to by both males and females (Webster et al, 2006). This variation in response between the sexes could be the result of different pheromones being used in different circumstances or differences in responsiveness between the sexes at different times of day.…”

“…1), F. occidentalis males form aggregations on white surfaces (Terry and Gardner, 1990), Frankliniella schultzei (Trybom) males form aggregations on the upper surfaces of flowers (Milne et al, 2002), Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) males form aggregations on leaves and fruit (Webster et al, 2006), males of Parabaliothrips newmani Gillespie, Mound and Wang form aggregations on leaf buds (Gillespie et al, 2002) and Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) males form aggregations on leaves (Niassy et al, 2016) (Fig. 2).…”

Effect of Diet on Development and Reproduction of Pezothrips kellyanus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

“…Kelly's citrus thrips, Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a new pest of citrus (Stevens et al 1998;Webster et al 2006;Vassiliou 2007;Navarro et al 2008). It became a pest in New Zealand (Blank & Gill 1997) and southern Australia (Mound & Jackman 1998) during the 1990s.…”