Fighting Soldier Thrips vs Onion Thrips
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Fighting Soldier Thrips | Onion Thrips |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Oncothrips tepperi | Thrips tabaci |
| Order | Thysanoptera | Thysanoptera |
| Family | Phlaeothripidae | Thripidae |
| Size | 1.5-3 mm | 1-1.3 mm |
| Habitat | Deserts & Drylands | Farmland |
| Diet | Gall Makers | Herbivores |
| Regions | Australia | Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania |
| Conservation | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
Fighting Soldier Thrips
A eusocial Australian thrips that forms colonies inside galls on Acacia trees with distinct reproductive and soldier castes. Soldiers patrol the gall and attack intruding insects.
Did You Know?
They are one of only about a dozen thrips species worldwide known to have evolved true eusociality with a soldier caste.
Onion Thrips
A cosmopolitan pest of onions, garlic, and many other crops. It can reproduce both sexually and parthenogenetically and transmits iris yellow spot virus.
Did You Know?
Onion thrips can reproduce without mating through parthenogenesis, allowing a single female to establish an entire infestation.