Mound, L. A., and Morris, D. C. 2007. A new thrips pest of Myoporum cultivars in California, in a new genus of leaf-galling Australian Phlaeothripidae (Thysanoptera). Zootaxa, 1495:35–45.
Mound and Morris (2007) describe a new species of thrips from California, Klambothrips myopori, where it is hammering the cultivated and wild Myoporum there, including New Zealand's ngaio tree. The species most certainly originates from Australia, or New Zealand. Its presence in California might not be such a bad thing, since ngaio was becoming widespread in the wild in parts of California and is on several Californian weed lists. The photo shows a typically damaged wild plant from the margins of the Upper Newport Bay Preserve wetland in southern California.
I've yet to see any damage comparable to this in New Zealand. It's well worth keeping an eye out for. If it is not a New Zealand native and can get from Australia to California, getting to New Zealand is perfectly feasible. Without natural controls, it is certainly capable of causing extensive damage to its host plants.
Mound and Morris's (2007) article is available, free, from http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/zt01495p045.pdf (200 KB).
No comments:
Post a Comment