(Thysanoptera: Thripidae)
Issue No. 322
H.A. Denmark and J.F. Price
September, 1989
Revised Ent. Cir. No. 119 (April 1972)
Introduction
The gladiolus thrips was described by Morison ( 1930) as Physothrips simplex from five female specimens collected on carnation flowers, Dianthus caryophyllus, from Urrbrae, South Australia. The holotype and 1 paratype are deposited in the British Museum. Moulton and Steinweden ( 1931) described this thrips under the name Taeniothrips gladioli from Ontario, Canada and it was synonymized by Steele (1935). Bhatti (1969) placed gladioli in the genus Thrips. Kellie O’Neill of the U.S. National Museum (retired) has suggested that this thrips probably originated in Africa as did its preferred host, gladiolus, Gladiolus x hortulanus.