Thrips Fauna (Thysanoptera: Terebrantia: Thripidae) Associated with Ornamental Plants of Kerala

Purposive surveys were conducted during 2022-23 in different districts of Kerala to document the diversity of Thripidae associated with ornamental plants. The study recorded 19 species of thrips under 13 genera belonging to three subfamilies of Thripidae viz., Thripinae, Panchaetothripinae and Sericothripinae. The subfamily Thripinae was the predominant, represented by 11 species under five genera viz., Chaetanaphothrips Priesner, Frankliniella Karny, Microcephalothrips Bagnall, Scirtothrips Shull and Thrips Linnaeus. The subfamily Panchaetothripinae was represented by seven species under seven genera viz., Astrothrips Karny, Caliothrips Daniel, Copidothrips Hood, Heliothrips Haliday, Retithrips Marchal, Rhipiphorothrips Morgan and Selenothrips Karny. The subfamily Sericothripinae recorded a single species viz., Neohydatothrips samayunkur Kudo. The genus Thrips was the most diverse with seven species. The study documents six new distribution records of thrips species from Kerala. Thrips parvispinus recorded the widest host range of 14 host plants with 11 new host records.