Echinothrips americanus

Insects belonging to the order Thysanoptera were named thrips meaning "woodworm," by Carl Linnaeus.[9]

Thrips, including E. americanus, are usually no longer than 1mm. Individual E. americanus are generally brown or black.[5] A.C. Morgan provides a detailed description of several individuals in his publication declaring his discovery of the species.[5] Males are generally smaller, thinner, and lighter in colour than females.[5] Morgan described E. americanus as having a red hypodermal pigmentation. Prepupae are white in colour.[10] Thrips are known for their asymmetrical mouthparts that distinguish them from other orders.[9] They are also known for their fringed wings. Adult E. americanus have moniliform antennae and the body size differences between males and females corresponds with antennae length and size differences.[11]

As its name suggests, E. americanus is native to the United States. E. americanus has been documented in the following countries: China, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland,[12] Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Bermuda, Canada, Guadeloupe, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Australia.[13] An unconfirmed observation of E. americanus was made in Denmark.[13]

E. americanus has been recorded in 10 U.S. states (Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, and Virginia) as well as the District of Columbia.[13]

E. americanus is known to occur in British Columbia as well as Ontario.[13]

Most species of thrips have a haplo-diploid reproductive mode and reproduce via arrhenotoky (a form of parthenogenesis).[14] Kreuger et al. (2015) report the mean lifespan of E. americanus to be 10 – 14 days.[15] As a member of the suborder Terebrantia, E. americanus has two larval instars (developmental stages) as well as two pupal instars.[16]

E. americanus' are leaf dwelling thrips, feeding on both the upper and lower surfaces of leaves (but more commonly on the lower surface).[7][11] They are highly polyphagous and cause severe damage to foliage that they feed on.[8] As opposed to other species of thrips like the western flower thrip (Frankliniella occidentalis) or tobacco thrips (Thrips tabaci) that pupate in the soil, E. americanus pupates on the aboveground parts of plants.[8] Using their mouthparts to puncture the leaf surface, E. americanus will leave plants with a chlorotic and shrunken appearance.[11] Particulate excreta or frass left on the leaf surface as well as eggs laid in plant tissues are serious threats to the economic value of many ornamental and crop plants.[11] E. americanus is known to feed on about 24 different families of plants.[17]

Most species of thrips have a haplo-diploid reproductive mode and reproduce via arrhenotoky (a form of parthenogenesis).[14] Kreuger et al. (2015) report a mean lifespan of 10 - 14 days.[18] As a species in the order Thysanoptera, E. americanus are hemimetabolous insects, meaning they undergo incomplete metamorphosis and have three distinct life stages: egg, nymph, and adult (also called imago). As a member of the suborder Terebrantia, E. americanus has two nymph instars as well as two pupal instars.[16] E. americanus exhibit assortative mating by body size.[19] Female E. americanus place their eggs into plant tissues with their ovipositor.[11]

Many species of thrips are polyphagous and feed extensively on foliage of both crops and ornamental plants, causing millions of USD in crop loss annually.[14][8][17] Several behavioural and morphological characteristics of E. americanus make chemical control of the species difficult.[11]

• iNaturalist - Echinothrips americanus
• University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences - Echinothrips americanus