Liothrips urichi

The Clidemia thrips, Liothrips urichi, is a thrips species from Trinidad. It is used as a biological control agent to stop the spread of Clidemia hirta (Koster's curse), an invasive plant species that does much damage in many tropical areas of the world.

Liothrips urichi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Thysanoptera
Family: Phlaeothripidae
Genus: Liothrips
Species:
L. urichi
Binomial name
Liothrips urichi
Karny, 1923

L. urichi was first employed on Fiji in 1930. It was introduced and released in Hawai'i in 1953, where, two months later, it was reproducing on C. hirta and was considered established.[1] This introduction terminated the problem in pasturelands, but C. hirta remains a problem in heavily shaded forests where L. urichi does not normally establish itself.[1]

Infested tips of C. hirta may contain all stages of L. urichi but larvae tend to cause the most damage. The thrips can control mature C. hirta by attacking young succulent growth causing tip die-back.

References
  1. "Liothrips urichi Karny". US Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
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