Note on the Occurrence of Two Species of Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on Low-bush Blueberry in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

Extract

Since 1947 a blueberry thrips, Frankliniella vaccinii Morgan, has been reported as a common pest of the low-bush blueberry in New Brunswick. In a previous note Wood (1956) described the injury caused by the thrips under the assumption that only one species was involved. During the summer of 1958, however, several specimens of thrips ollected in Charlotte County, N.B. were sent, by request, to L. J. Stannard of the State Natural History Survey Division, Urbana, Illinois, who discovered two species, F. vaccinii and Taeniothrips vaccinophilus Hood, were included. This information was quite surprising and prompted further examination of specimens collected in this area prior to 1958. These specimens were examined by W. R. Richards, Entomology Research Institute, Ottawa, who reported that both species were present. Specimens collected between 1947 and 1951, however, were all F. vaccinii, those collected in 1951 were about 75 per cent F. vaccinii, and those collected since 1951 were mostly T. vaccinophilus. These records show that T. vaccinophilus, which appeared in or about 1951, has rapidly replaced F. vaccinii as the predominant species infesting blueberry in this area.