The significance of anthropochory in Hercinothrips femoralis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) - Short Communication

Abstract

After the first record of the banded greenhouse thrips, Hercinothrips femoralis (Reuter, 1891) in Slovakia in 2008, a peculiar occurrence in an extreme subalpine environment of Podbanské (High Tatra Mts.), Slovakia, during the summer of the same year was observed. Since this species of exotic thrips is known to be almost sedentary, the mode of dispersal was hypothesized to be related to passive transport via weather currents. According to our observations of unintentional dispersal a test was conducted to research a previously unidentified introduction pathway of this species. Our preliminary results show that passive transport by humans plays a crucial role in the dispersal of H. femoralis.

Phenotype “Explosion” in Hercinothrips femoralis (O. M. Reuter 1891) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae): A Particular Phenomenon for Successful Introduction of Economic Species

“…A light was installed above the box, and the temperature was recorded by a thermometer (Comet Logger s3120). Cucumbers were used as food for thrips [32]. All fruits were stored in the same conditions and came from one distributor before the experiment.…”

“…It represents a glasshouse phytopathogenic species in temperate regions [24] that is successfully moving from greenhouses into private households [25]. In addition, this species can also spread outside greenhouses into previously inaccessible, non-hostile environments [26] with specialized dispersion mechanisms [27,28]. Moreover, its introduction to a new environment often goes unnoticed, and the species is usually discovered after it has already established itself under novel conditions [23].…”