THE EUROPEAN AND NORTH-AMERICAN GREENHOUSE PEST LEUCOTHRIPS-NIGRIPENNIS REUTER, THE FERN THRIPS (TEREBRANTIA, THRIPIDAE), LIVES OUTDOORS ININDIA

The European and North American greenhouse pest Leucothrips nigripenni s Reuter 1904 is now found to live outdoors in India. The nominal spec ies Sporangiothrips acuminatus Daniel 1985 from South India is here re cognized as a junior synonym (syn. nov.) of nigripennis, the type spec ies of Leucothrips. The genus Sporangiothrips Daniel 1985 is an object ive synonym (syn. nov.) of Leucothrips Reuter 1904. The so far known e xistence of the species in hothouses in temperate zones in Europe and North America thus owes its origin to natural populations in South Asi a. The south Indian area of Coonoor (near Ootacamund) and Kodaikanal c ould have been the centre of dissemination of the species by human com merce. L. nigripennis was so far very poorly known and, being the type species of Leucothrips, the genus too is very unsatisfactorily unders tood. As the oldest described genus among the group of 3 closely relat ed and unsatisfactorily differentiated genera in the subfamily Dendrot hripinae, an understanding of Leucothrips is pivotal to any study of t he relationships among these genera. L. nigripennis is therefore descr ibed in detail, along with synonymy, distribution, and host plants.