Situation of Scirtothrips dorsalis in the USA
Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – EPPO A2 List) is a cryptic species complex of at least 9 species. Surveys conducted in the USA in 2015-2021 have shown that at least two of them (South Asia 1 and East Asia 1) occur in the country on a wide range of host plants (more than 50 species) and that they are expanding their range. The South Asia 1 species is polyphagous and established in most of the southern and western states of the USA, including North Carolina and Tennessee where it has been found recently. The East Asia 1 species is found mainly on hydrangea in northeastern states, as it has a greater cold tolerance and it is newly reported from Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts (Kumar et al., 2023).
Sources
Kumar V, Xiao Y, Borden MA, Ahmed MZ, McKenzie CL, Osborne LS (2023) Distribution of Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) cryptic species complex in the United States and reproductive host assessment of its dominant member. Journal of Economic Entomology, toad138. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toad138