Original Paper Plant Protection Science, 56, 2020 (4): 292–304 https://doi.org/10.17221/87/2020-PPS An updated checklist of thrips from Slovakia with emphasis on economic species Martina Zvaríková, Rudolf Masarovič, Pavol Prokop; Peter Fedor* Department of Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia *Corresponding author: [email protected] Citation: Zvaríková M., Masarovič R., Prokop P., Fedor P. (2020): An updated checklist of thrips from Slovakia with emphasis on economic species. Plant Protect. Sci., 56: 292–304. Abstract: Almost sixty years after the first published plea for more systematic research on thrips in Slovakia, the checklist undisputedly requires an appropriate revision with a special emphasis on the economic consequences of climate change and biological commodity trade globalisation synergic effects, followed by the dynamic and significant changes in the native biodiversity due to alien species introduction. The updated checklist contains 189 species recorded from the area of Slovakia, from three families: Aeolothripidae Uzel, 1895 (15 species), Thripidae Stephens, 1829 (113 species) and Phlaeothripidae Uzel, 1895 (61 species), including 7 beneficiary and 35 economic pest elements, such as one A2 EPPO quarantine pest (Frankliniella occidentalis) and five potential transmitters of tospoviruses (F. occidentalis, F. intonsa, F. fusca, Thrips tabaci, Dictyothrips betae). Several species (e.g., Hercinothrips femoralis, Microcephalothrips abdomi- nalis, F. occidentalis, T. flavus, T. tabaci, Limothrips cerealium, L. denticornis, etc.) may possess a heavy introduction and invasion potential with well-developed mechanisms for successful dispersion. Keywords: alien species; biodiversity; globalisation; invasions; crop pests; tospoviruses Thrips (Thysanoptera) are generally known as crop a synergy of factors may support the fact that exot- pests throughout the world (Lewis 1997). Although ic pests have recently become a serious problem in only approximately 1% of all recently recorded spe- Europe with applied environmental, ecological and cies are considered as pests (Morse & Hoodle 2006), even economic consequences for natural ecosystems their economic importance remains very serious due as well as urban and farmland areas (Hulme 2009). to their invasive and reproductive potential and abil- Alien species continuously adapt to local climatic ity to transmit tospoviruses (Lewis 1997; Trdan et al. and ecological conditions and expand into other re- 2006, 2008; Ciuffo et al. 2010; Rotenberg et al. 2015). gions (Masarovič et al. 2014a) even passively through Moreover, globalisation and climate change provide zoochory (Fedor et al. 2011) and anthropochory new and appropriate conditions for alien species, (Štefánik et al. 2019). Approximately 12.5 billion usually with a tropical and subtropical distribu- EUR annually have been spent on the prevention of tion, to spread into new environments (e.g., Jenser biological invasions in the European Union for over & Czenz 1988; Pelikán 1989, 1991; Lewis 1997; Collins the 20 past years (Kettunen et al. 2008). 1998; Karadjova & Krumov 2003; Trdan et al. 2005a; Despite the outstanding tradition in Thysanoptera Rodikatis et al. 2006; Vierbergen et al. 2006; Fedor research by Heinrich Uzel (Uzel 1895) during the Aus- & Varga 2007; Varga & Fedor 2008; Goldarazena tro-Hungarian Empire that has provided the basis for 2011; Masarovič et al. 2017a; Fedor et al. 2018). Such almost all subsequent work on this group of insects Supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, Grant No. VEGA 1/0286/20 and by the Honorary Consulate of Monaco in Bratislava, Slovakia and Comenius University Grant No.UK/347/2020, Slovakia. 292 Plant Protection Science, 56, 2020 (4): 292–304 Original Paper https://doi.org/10.17221/87/2020-PPS in Europe at least for decades (Fedor et al. 2010), the 120120 first faunistic data on at least 11 thrips species: Hoplo- 100 thrips pedicularius (Haliday, 1836), Hoplothrips ulmi 100 (Fabricius, 1781), Megathrips lativentris (Hegeer, 8080 1852), Phlaeothrips coriaceus Haliday, 1836, Bolothrips bicolor, (Heeger, 1852), Parthenothrips dracenae, 6060 (Heeger, 1854), Chirothrips manicatus Haliday, 1836, Limothrips cerealium Haliday, 1836, Limothrips denti- 4040 No. of describedNo. species cornis Haliday, 1836, Baliothrips dispar Haliday, 1836, Number of descibed species Thrips minutissimus Linnaeus, 1758 from the terri- 2020 tory of the current area of Slovakia were actually pub- lished by Jablonowski (1899). Shortly before the World 0 1895–19451895‐1945 1946‐2000 PELIKÁN1946–2000 2000‐PRESENT FEDOR2000–present War II, Kratochvíl (1939a, 1939b), predominantly JABLONOWSKI DUDICH HEŠKOVÁ MASAROVIČ SIERKAFedor, Masarovič, Jablonowski,KRATOCHVÍL Pelikán,DOBROVODSKÁ Hešková, ZVARÍKOVÁ oriented on pests, offered a pioneer study on Thysa- Dudich, Kratochvíl Dobrovodská Sierka, Zvaríková noptera taxo-coenoses from eastern Slovakian farm- Figure1. A summary of the first records on Thysanoptera lands. However, the most generous era in systematic from the Slovak territory thrips research (Figures 1 and 2) has been associated y axis – the number of species discovered in Slovakia; with Moravian entomologist Jaroslav Pelikán (Fedor x axis – the research period and first record authors & Sierka 2006), publishing 73 first records (e.g., Pe- likán 1952, 1977, 1983), including descriptions of tablished a new generation of thysanopterologists 5 new species, species novae: Oxythrips tatricus Pe- dealing with all aspects of Thysanoptera diversity, likán, 1955; Oxythrips priesneri Pelikán 1957; An- including the faunistics (Fedor 2003, 2004, 2005), kothrips flavidus Pelikán 1958; Rhipidothrips ele- taxonomy (Fedor et al. 2008, 2009, 2014), ecology gans Pelikán 1961; Hoplothrips carpathicus Pelikán (Pelikán et al. 2002; Varga et al. 2010; Fedor et al. 1961 from the Slovak territory (Pelikán 1954, 1955, 2011; Zvaríková et al. 2016; Masarovič et al. 2017b) 1958, 1957, 1961). Later, under his essential supervi- and the global change consequences (Varga 2007; sion, the knowledge on Slovak Thysanoptera fauna Varga & Fedor 2008; Masarovič et al. 2017a; Zvarík- has been enriched in 28 first records, especially by ová et al. 2017; Fedor et al. 2018), publishing 41 first Hešková (1967) and Dobrovodská (1973), offering records (Figure 1 and 2). a checklist with 123 species (Aeolothripidae: 10 species, Almost sixty years after the first published plea Thripidae: 78 species, Phlaeothripidae: 35 species) for a more systematic research on thrips in Slovakia (Pelikán 1977). (Potúčková 1960), the checklist undisputedly requires Since the turn of the century, the need for a more an appropriate revision with a special emphasis on complex approach to research on thrips has es- the economic consequences of climate change and 188 189 183185186 179182 169173174 166168 163165 147150152 143144 139 115 107 87 Figure 2. Development 81 82 85 75 76 of the knowledge on the No. of species 70 Slovakian Thysanop- 44 47 tera diversity during 29 30 the last 120 years 24 19 23 20 10 14 11 red line – the number 5 5 8 5 1 3 1 1 3 2 4 1 3 3 2 2 1 2 1 4 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 of known species; blue 9 9 1 3 1 2 4 7 8 0 1 5 7 3 7 3 0 2 1 2 3 5 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 line – the number of the 89 93 94 94 95 95 95 95 95 96 96 96 96 97 97 98 99 99 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 first records through- Year out this time 293 Original Paper Plant Protection Science, 56, 2020 (4): 292–304 https://doi.org/10.17221/87/2020-PPS biological commodity trade globalisation synergic ef- The thrips specimens were sampled using vari- fects followed by dynamic and significant changes in ous collection methods, including shaking and the native biodiversity due to alien species introduc- sweeping through vegetation (grass and weed- tion. The last national checklist published 16 years ago dwelling thrips), applying sticky traps (glasshouse (Fedor et al. 2004) has been predominantly based on thrips) and tree photoeclectors (forest-dwelling the former Czechoslovak surveys, such as Enumeratio species) as well as soil photoeclectors and sieving Insectorum Bohemoslovakiae (Pelikán 1977) with 123 the leaf litter (soil-dwelling Thysanoptera) (Fedor known species (Terebrantia 88, Tubulifera 35), includ- 2006; Masarovič et al. 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013a, b, c, ing some of them with a "probable occurrence". By 2003, 2014, 2015; Dubovský et al. 2010; Doričová & Fedor 151 thrips species (Terebrantia 107, Tubulifera 44) in 2012; Fedor et al. 2012, 2018; Sigmund et al. 2015; total with 26 considered pests, were recorded in the Zvaríková et al. 2017 ). The new recorded pest spe- area of Slovakia. The primary purpose of this study is to cies were sampled individually using pincers and a provide an updated list of species, including their sup- brush (Fedor & Varga 2007; Varga & Fedor 2008; plementary economic, ecological, and zoogeographical Varga 2008; Masarovič et al. 2016, 2017). An AGA data, even as a useful platform for the environmentally solution (84% of ethyl alcohol, 8.3% of glycerol, induced biodiversity dynamics assessment. Without 8.3% of acetic acid) was used as a conservation liq- a doubt, the outstanding geomorphological and eco- uid. The thrips were slide-mounted according to logical heterogeneity of Slovakia as well as its central the standard preparatory techniques (Sierka & Fe- continental position with active connections to neigh- dor 2004; Fedor et al. 2012) and identified accord- bouring regions (Zur Strassen 2003; Sierka et al. 2008; ing to reliable determination keys (Priesner 1964; Jenser 2011) should have been reflected in the marked- Schliephake & Klimt 1979; Mound 1972; Zur Stras- ly higher biodiversity than presented in historical lit- sen 2003; Kobro & Rafoss 2006; Dang & Qiao 2013). erature. In this paper, we provide an updated checklist The material has been deposited in the collections of 189 thrips species including 35 of them possessing of the authors.