Poinsettia Thrips vs Fighting Soldier Thrips
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Poinsettia Thrips | Fighting Soldier Thrips |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Echinothrips americanus | Oncothrips tepperi |
| Order | Thysanoptera | Thysanoptera |
| Family | Thripidae | Phlaeothripidae |
| Size | 1.3-1.7 mm | 1.5-3 mm |
| Habitat | Gardens | Deserts & Drylands |
| Diet | Herbivores | Gall Makers |
| Regions | North America, Europe | Australia |
| Conservation | Not Evaluated | Not Evaluated |
Poinsettia Thrips
A dark brown thrips originally from eastern North America now invasive in European greenhouses. It feeds on a wide range of ornamental plants.
Did You Know?
Unlike most thrips, this species completes its entire life cycle on the leaf surface and never enters the soil.
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.