Relative Abundance of Frankliniella bispinosa and Other Species of Thysanoptera Emerging from Soil Beneath ‘Navel’ Orange Trees in Florida During Spring Flowering

Sixteen species of thrips in three families were identified from slide-mounted specimens collected from emergence traps placed beneath and between citrus trees in southwest and central Florida between 1989 and 1992. Species in the family Thripidae included: Chirothrips spiniceps (Hood), Frankliniella bispinosa (Morgan), F. kelliae Sakimura, Microcephalothrips abdominalis (D. L. Crawford), Scirtothrips sp., and Scolothrips pallidus (Beach); in the family Aeolothripidae: Stomatothrips crawfordi Stannard; and the family Phlaeothripidae: Adraneothrips decorus Hood, Aleurodothrips fasciapennis (Franklin), Eurythrips sp., Haplothrips gowdeyi (Franklin), Hoplandrothrips raptor (Crawford), Hoplothrips marginalis (Hood), Leptothrips cassiae Hood, L. macroocellatus Watson, and Nesothrips lativentris (Karny). F. bispinosa was the most abundant species comprising 84 to 99% of the thrips collected from emergence traps. F. kelliae was the second most abundant species with frequencies ranging from 3 to 12% in Lee and Hendry counties. No propupal or pupal stages of Frankliniella spp. were recovered from ground traps placed beneath the dripline of navel orange trees during flowering cycles at either location in southwest Florida. Only first and second instars and adults of F. bispinosa were collected from the ground traps.