Thrips tabaci Lindeman

This is the most commonly intercepted species on plant products imported from Ethiopia. It was collected in the period 1997–2009 from three plant genera only: Allium (2 interceptions, 53 females, 3 larvae II), Dianthus (3 interceptions, 57 females) and Rosa (24 interceptions, 140 females, 2 larvae II). Remarkably no males and only a few larvae II were sampled. Worldwide this major pest species occurs in many crops and its variability is shown in the strains known. One or more arrhenotokous strains are quite common in Africa (e.g. Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe), but none of these strains are recorded from Ethiopia.