Abstract
Composition, distribution, abundance and pest status of thrips species associated with citrus flowers in Antalya, Turkey was investigated in 2006 and 2007. The survey revealed 36 thrips species. The most common and abundant species in descending order were: Thrips major Uzel, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), T. tabaci Lindeman, T. meridionalis (Priesner), T. angusticeps Uzel and Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). The thrips fauna was predominated by T. major being found in 84% of the samples and constituting 51% of the specimens. F. occidentalis was the second most common and abundant species which was present in 55% of the samples and representing 22% of the specimens. The other four major species were detected in 12–28% of the samples and had a share of 4–6% in the total number of specimens. Average number of thrips per flower ranged between 0.26 and 0.55 depending on the citrus species. Proportion of scarred fruits ranged between 0.8 to 2.4%. Only P. kellyanus is known as a citrus pest and currently is less common and abundant than in those countries where it causes crop losses. These findings in Turkey do not provide any clear evidence concerning the country of origin of P. kellyanus.
