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

thrips Thrips (Order (biology) , order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Entomologists have species description , described approximately 7,700 species. They fly on ...

species from

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

. It is used as a

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or o ...

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, causing serious damage. Description ''Miconia cren ...

'' (Koster's curse), an invasive plant species that does much damage in many tropical areas of the world. ''L. urichi'' was first employed on

Fiji Fiji, 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 of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

in 1930. It was introduced and released in

Hawai'i Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

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 (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

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