Kelly's Citrus Thrips

Taxonomy

Pezothrips kellyanus

Abbreviation: KCT

Distribution

Kelly's citrus thrips is present in: Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, and Israel.

Affected Commodities

Kelly's citrus thrips is a pest of the following plants: citrus plants and plant products (lemons, grapefruits, and navel oranges).

Commodity Damage

Evidence of Kelly's citrus thrips damage includes: scar tissue on commodities, creating a silver ‘halo’ around the calyx of the fruit. On mature fruit, scurfing can range in severity from narrow to broad haloes around the calyx up to expansive patches of scarring which can cover much of the fruit surface. Additional damage can occur as a result of adult and juvenile thrips feeding at contact points between mature fruits. This damage appears as rind bleaching.

Port Inspections

CBP Agriculture Specialists, please refer to manuals for general inspection guidelines. When performing inspections, look for citrus and listed plant matter for scar tissue and other pest feeding evidence.

Kelly's citrus thrips (adult):

• 1–2mm in length, with fringed wings
• black (other black thrips may occur in citrus, but KCT is the most common species)
• can be common in citrus flowers, and later in the season around contact points of touching fruit

Kelly's citrus thrips (larvae):

• small, wingless (you will need a 10x hand lens)
• pale yellow to bright orange
• in spring they shelter under fruit calyces