July 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 503 



red and pink blooms. Mr. Dudley Moulton of the United States Bureau 

 of Entomology, who examined the writer's specimens, proved, however, that 

 the thrips infesting the roses in the Melbourne gardens was not the same 

 species as that affecting those in Sydney, but was closely related, if not 

 identical, to Euthrips nervosus, a thrips found breeding upon corn and various 

 grasses in America. 



The second species was long known in America as Thrips fritici, Fitch, 

 but was placed in the genus Frankliniella by the Austrian Entomologist, 

 Professor Karny, in his system of classiticatiou published in 1910. This is 

 the wheat thrips of the United States ; it has a very wide range there, and 

 also infests many flowering shrubs and plants both wild and cultivated. It 

 frequently does a great deal of damage to strawberry plants in Florida and 

 Illinois by puncturing the flowers and thus interfering with fertilization. 

 The damage thus caused is locally known as " buttoning." 



From their small size thrips are easily overlooked, and the harm caused by 

 them is often ascribed to fungus, mould, rust and other causes. 



French, in his " Handbook of the Destructive Insects of Victoria " (Part 

 v., 1911) gives an illustrated account of a common thrips doubtfully identi- 

 fied as Thrips tabaci ; this, he states, did a great deal of damage to the 

 potato crops of the Lancefield district, and also swarmed all over the 

 adjacent pea crops, the hawthorn and African boxthorn hedges, and the 

 surrounding grass. 



In 1913-1-4 the apple crop of the costal districts of New South Wales was 

 seriously reduced by the enormous numbers of thrips that swarmed into the 

 opening blossoms and caused the flowers to drop off. Gurney ("Some Insect 

 Pests of Apples and Pears ") gave an account of this thrips in this journal 

 1915, pp. 303. 



The grass thrips has never been previously recorded from Australia 

 though, owing to its small size and its habits of infesting grass, it may have 

 been casually introduced many years ago from the United States and 

 remained unnoticed until it turned its attention to an important field crop 

 like tobacco. 



At the time of the writer's visit (on 25th April last) specimens in all 

 stages of development, from freshly liatched larvae to winged insects, were 

 found in large numbers on both the upper and under surfaces of the tobacco 

 leaves at Gunnedah and Tamworth. From the condition of the foliage they 

 had evidently been feeding upon the plant for some weeks previously. 



The larval thrips are white with reddish eyes ; the head is small, and the 

 antennse short and thickened, standing out in front of the head and composed 

 of seven joints, of which the last four are closely joined together and might 

 be mistaken for a single joint. The legs are stout, bearing the typical, 

 bladder-shaped, single segment or foot, and two claws. The body is fusiform 

 rounded, tapering to the tip, which terminates in a short, tubular process • 

 the tenth segment bears six long hairs (setce). Under a high magnification 

 the segments of the abdomen show a very curious transverse striation 



