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Traditional and modern methods for the identification of thrips (Thysanoptera) species

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Abstract

Many thrips are pests of commercial crops due to the damage they cause by feeding on developing flowers or vegetables. Thrips may also serve as vectors for plant diseases, such as tospoviruses. Their small size and predisposition towards enclosed places makes them difficult to detect by phytosanitary inspection. In this review, several methods available for identifying thrips, including their advantages and disadvantages, are discussed. A combination of different methods gives the most reliable identification. Relatively new morphometric, molecular and biochemical methods for identifying thrips species represent valuable alternatives for situations in which correct identification with classical morphological methods is very difficult, time consuming or virtually impossible. However, traditional morphological methods should not be neglected, especially because adequate identification using morphological keys is usually an indispensable first step in the development and validation of these new modern methods. In addition, modern systems may still require specimen identification to the genus level via morphological keys, or such keys may be recommended to confirm the results of modern identification methods.

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Acknowledgments

This study was carried out within Professional Tasks from the Field of Plant Protection, a programme funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food of the Phytosanitary Administration of the Republic of Slovenia. The authors thank Dr. Halina Kucharczyk and Dr. Peter Fedor for kindly providing us with the basic data on morphometric analysis that they use in thrips identification. The authors thank three anonymous reviewers whose comments and suggestions helped us to improve the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Nataša Mehle

  2. Department of Agronomy, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1111, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Stanislav Trdan

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  1. Nataša Mehle
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  2. Stanislav Trdan
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Correspondence to Stanislav Trdan.

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Communicated by M. Traugott.

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Mehle, N., Trdan, S. Traditional and modern methods for the identification of thrips (Thysanoptera) species. J Pest Sci 85, 179–190 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-012-0423-4

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