Monitoring of Thysanoptera in tropical crops in S. Tomé e Príncipe.
Mateus C., Paquete I., Oliveira R., Mexia A.
Author Affiliation: Tropical Scientific Research Institute (IICT/CEFA), Travessa Conde da Ribeira, 9, 1300-142 Lisbon, Portugal.
: 183-188
Abstract : The attraction of Selenothrips rubrocinctus to yellow, white, and blue sticky traps was tested in cacao [Theobroma cacao], avocado, guava, and mango in Sã0 Tomé e Príncipe. There were no significant differences between the traps. However, it is concluded that yellow traps must be avoided: they caught significantly higher number of potentially beneficial small Hymenopteran parasitoids. Megaphragma sp., a parasitoid of thrips, was very abundant. S. rubrocinctus, considered the most important thrips pest of these crops in the country, was not the most abundant species. In cacao, it constituted 9%, against 69% of Ceratothripoides revelatus, of species trapped. In fruit crops, Megalurothrips sjostedti was the most abundant species (94% in mango, 88% in avocado, and 69% in guava). Larvae, pre-pupae, and pupae were not detected in the soil, indicating that the pupation process of the species present in the crops studied does not occur in soil.