Journal of Insect Science RESEARCH

Gynaikothrips uzeli (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae), New Record From Tartous, Syria Ali Yaseen Ali1 General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Tartous Research Center, Tartous, Syria 1Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected]

Subject Editor: Henry Hagedorn

J. Insect Sci. 14(273): 2014; DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieu135

ABSTRACT. The weeping fig thrips Gynaikothrips uzeli Zimmermann (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) is newly recorded for the first time in the galls of the weeping fig benjamina L. (: ) in the coastal area of Tartous, Syria. The thrips caused purplish red spots on the leaf surface of the host and the curl. G. uzeili appears to be successfully adapted to this area.

Key Words: phlaeothripidae, galls, Ficus benjamina

The genus Gynaikothrips sp. (Cavalleri et al. 2011) comprises 41 spe- Discussion cies mainly from Southeast Asia (Mound 2012). The weeping fig thrips The thrips G. uzeli is native to Southeast Asia including Taiwan, Gynaikothrips uzeli Zimmermann (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) is China, and (Mound et al. 1995, Held et al. 2005), However, there almost exclusively associated with decorative Ficus benjamina L. are no reports about occurrence of this in Western Asia; there- (Rosales: Moraceae) (Cambero-Campos et al. 2010). G. uzeli attacks fore, this report is the first record of G. uzeli in this area, and the intro- the leaves of F. benjamina causing purplish red spots on the low leaf duction of G. uzeli in the coastal area in Syria can be attributed to the surface, and the leaves become curled and galled (Held et al. 2005). G. horticultural trade in F. benjamina. uzeili has been recorded in China (Yu et al. 2012), Australia (Tree These results indicated that, the curled leaves, galls, and purplish 2012), North America, South America, Central America and Mexico red spots on the low surface of the leaves of F. benjamina in Tartous (Held et al. 2005; Cambero-Campos et al. 2010; Cavalleri et al. 2011; area were caused by G. uzeli, and the same symptoms were described De Borbo´n and Agostini 2011), the Galapagos Islands (Hoddle and by Mound et al. (1995) who also reported that, G. uzeli is the main Mound 2011), and (Held et al. 2008). F. benjamina L. (Rosales: builder of galls in F. benjamina. These thrips appears to be wide spread Moraceae) was introduced to Syria and used at the coastal area in in all cultivated places of F. benjamina in Tartous, and it is expected to Tartous Syria for ornamentation of parks. In summer 2013, it was ob- become a pest, therefore more studies are needed about the biology, served that the leaves of of F. benjamina were curled and folded ecology, and the natural enemies including predators and parasitoids of along the central vein, and a high density of black thrips was found in- G. uzeli in Syria. side the curled leaves. The aim of this report is to record the new species of this thrips for the first time in the coastal area of Syria. Acknowledgments We thank Dr. Laurence A. Mound (Australian National Insect Materials and Methods Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra, Australia) for the Infested curled leaves of F. benjamina including thrips species were identification of the thrips species. This study was funded by the collected in August 2013, and the samples were taken from two loca- General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research in Syria. tions in Tartous area, Al Jemaseh Center 34N 43’ 55.20, 35 E 58’ 38.14 and the Wadi Al-Shater valley 34 N 51’ 50.60, 35 E 53’ 46.88. The References Cited thrips were removed using a fine brush and preserved in 95% alcohol. Cambero-Campos, J., R. Valenzuela-Garcı´a, C. Carvajal-Cazola, C. Rios- Specimens are deposited at the Laboratory of Entomology in the Center Velasco, and O. Garcı´a-Martı´nez. 2010. New records for Mexico: of Tartous for Agricultural Research. The thrips were identified by L. Gynaikothrips uzeli, Androthrips ramachandrai (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripi- A. Mound. dae) and Montandoniola confusa (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae). Fla. Entomol. 93: 470–472. Results Cavalleri,A.,M.G.A.Lima,F.S.Melo,andJ.R.Mendonc¸a. 2011. New re- cords of thrips (Thysanoptera) species in Brazil. Neotrop. Entomol. 40: 628–630. These species were identified as G. uzeli according to morphologi- De Borbo´n, C. M., and J. P. Agostini. 2011. Gynaikothrips uzeli cal characters. The species is described by Mound (2012) as follows: (Zimmermann) and Androthripsramachandrai Karny (Thysanoptera, the color of the body brown, antennal segments III–VII largely yellow, Phlaeothripidae), first records for Argentina. Revista De La Facultad De also tarsi and apices of tibiae yellow, and fore wings pale. The head lon- Ciencias Agrarias 43: 253–260. ger than wide, the antenna is eight segmented, segment III with one sen- Held, D. W., D. Boyd, T. Lockley, and G. B. Edwards. 2005. Gynaikothrips sorious, and segment IV with three sensorious. Pronotum with major uzeli (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) in the Southeastern United States: dis- tribution and review of biology. Fla. Entomol. 88: 538–540. setae variable; fore wing parallel sided, with about 15 duplicated cilia. Held, D. W., D. W. Boyd, and W. David, Jr. 2008. New records of Pelta broadly triangular; tergites II–VII with two pairs of sigmoid wing- Gynaikothrips uzeli (Zimmerman) (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) on Ficus retaining setae; tergite IX setae S1 about 0.8 as long as tube. benjamina in Texas and O’ahu, Hawaii, USA. Pan Pac. Entomol. 84: 77–80.

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