The Clidemia thrips, ''Liothrips urichi'', is a

thrips Thrips ( order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are ...

species from

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

. It is used as a

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

agent to stop the spread of ''

Clidemia hirta ''Miconia crenata'', (syn. ''Clidemia hirta''), commonly called soapbush, clidemia or Koster's curse, is a perennial shrub. It is an invasive plant species in many tropical regions of the world, creating serious damage. Description ''Miconia cre ...

'' (Koster's curse), an

invasive plant species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

that does much damage in many tropical areas of the world. ''L. urichi'' was first employed on

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

in 1930. It was introduced and released in

Hawai'i Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

in 1953, where, two months later, it was reproducing on ''C. hirta'' and was considered established. This introduction terminated the problem in pasturelands, but ''C. hirta'' remains a problem in heavily shaded forests where ''L. urichi'' does not normally establish itself. Infested tips of ''C. hirta'' may contain all stages of ''L. urichi'' but

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e tend to cause the most damage. The thrips can control mature ''C. hirta'' by attacking young succulent growth causing tip die-back.

References

Phlaeothripidae Insects used for control of invasive plants Insects described in 1923 Endemic fauna of Trinidad and Tobago {{Thrip-stub