Report of six new thrips species on vegetable and pulse crops in central India

Thrips are the most cryptic and stealthy insect pests due to their minute size, slender body, polymorphism, and concealed habits.Thrips have greater economic importance in wide variety of crops, including vegetables and pulses, as they cause direct damage to crops and also indirectly by transmitting Orthotospoviruses.A thorough field survey was conducted in three distinct agro-climatic zones of Chhattisgarh during which thrips were monitored, collected, curated, and identified.We report the occurrence of six new thrips species, Heliothrips ceylonicus (Schmutz, 1913), Frankliniella intonsa (Trybom, 1895), Ceratothripoides claratris (Shumsher, 1946), Microcephalothrips abdominalis (D.L. Crawford, 1910), Megalurothrips typicus (Bagnall, 1915), and Craspedothrips minor (Bagnall, 1921) on major vegetable and pulse crops for the first time in Chhattisgarh state of central India.H. ceylonicus was the most widespread species in all three zones, infesting okra, brinjal, chilli, tomato, cucumber, blackgram, greengram, and cowpea, with the highest population recorded on chilli and blackgram.F. intonsa, an invasive and polyphagous species, showed notable presence in okra and brinjal, especially in Balod and Raipur districts of Chhattisgarh plains.C. claratris was found in solanaceous and pulse crops, suggesting its host range expansion.M. abdominalis and M. typicus, were found in moderate populations on cowpea and okra, while C. minor was newly recorded on cowpea.These findings highlight the expanding host range and distribution of thrips species in central India, particularly in Chhattisgarh, emphasising the need for continuous monitoring, accurate identification, and integrated management strategies to mitigate the growing threat caused by thrips to vegetable and pulse crop productivity.