Thrips linarius Uzel, 1895
flax thrips
on Linum
parasite
Larvae and adults free on the young leaves at the tip of the stem.
host plants
Linaceae, monophagous
Linum usitatissimum.
Adults also Achillea setacea; Agrostemma githago; Bellis perennis; Brassica napus; Bupleurum; Carduus nutans subsp. leiophyllus; Conium maculatum; Euphorbia; Isatis glauca; Lamium purpureum; Marrubium peregrinum; Matricaria chamomilla; Senecio vulgaris; Sinapis; Tanacetum millefolium; Taraxacum campylodes.
phenology
Univoltine; hibernation as winged adults, in the soil.
distribution within Europe
synonyms
Thrips lini Ladureau, 1877; Thrips tenuisetosus Knechtel, 1923; Thrips ponticus Knechtel, 1965.
notes
Together with, but to a lesser degree than, Thrips angusticeps, responsible for the flax disease known as “bad heads”. Initially, the plants develop a yellowish hue, while the tips stand erect, rather than droop. Furthermore the growing points are swollen; de leaves develop, mainly at the edges, silvery decolourations that later turn brown. The leaves curl away from the stem, giving the top of the plants a rough aspect, rather than the smooth outline of healthy plants.
references
Blunck (1958a), Buhr (1964b), Franssen & Mantel (1960a, 1962a), Kucharczyk (2010a), Nickle (2006a), Raspudić, Ivezić, Brmež & Trdan (2009a), Roskam (2009a, 2019a), Schliephake (1965a), Vasiliu-Oromulu (1998a, 2002a).