A south east Asian pest species newly recorded from Europe: Thrips parvispinus (Thysanoptera : Thripidae), its confused identity and potential quarantine significance

The south east Asian pest thrips, Thrips parvispinus is recorded breeding i n Europe for the first time, damaging Gardenia plants in Greece. Morphologi cal variation in this species from various Asian countries is recorded and compared to the type specimens. As a result Isoneurothrips jenseni Karny, 1 925 and Thrips (Isoneurothrips) taiwanus Takahashi, 1936 are placed as syno nyms of Thrips parvispinus (Karny, 1922). In contrast, Thrips comressicorni s (Sakimura), a species from the Marquesa Islands of the Pacific that has p reviously been associated with these taxa, represents a very different spec ies. The quarantine significance of T. parvispinus is emphasised.