Gall-forming Thrips vs Yucca Giant-Skipper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Gall-forming Thrips Yucca Giant-Skipper
Scientific Name Klambothrips myopori Megathymus yuccae
Order Thysanoptera Lepidoptera
Family Phlaeothripidae Hesperiidae
Size 1.0-1.5 mm 45-70 mm wingspan
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Beaches & Coastal
Diet Gall Makers Root Feeders
Regions Oceania, North America Southern and Eastern United States
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Gall-forming Thrips

A tiny Australian thrips that induces galls on Myoporum plants. It was introduced to California as a biocontrol agent.

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Did You Know?

This thrips was deliberately released in Hawaii and California to control invasive Myoporum trees.

Yucca Giant-Skipper

One of North America's largest skippers with dark wings spotted in yellow-orange. Its massive caterpillar bores into yucca roots and stems, creating a silk-lined tunnel.

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Did You Know?

The pupa wriggles up through the tunnel before emergence, and empty pupal skins protruding from yucca plants reveal their presence.