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= Echinothrips americanus =

Echinothrips americanus is a species of thrips (the taxonomic order Thysanoptera) in the family Thripidae, the second largest order of Thysanoptera. It is found in North America, Europe, and Asia. E. americanus was first described in 1913 by entomologist A.C. Morgan in Quincy, Florida, where he found the insect on a Veratrum viride plant (common name green false-hellebore). Suggested common names include Poinsettia thrips and Impatiens thrips. Since their spread throughout Europe as early as 1995, and subsequently China, E. americanus has been called an "upcoming pest."

Etymology
Insects belonging to the order Thysanoptera were named thrips meaning "woodworm," by Carl Linnaeus.

Physical appearance
Thrips, including E. americanus, are usually no longer than 1mm. Individual E. americanus are generally brown or black. A.C. Morgan provides a detailed description of several individuals in his publication declaring his discovery of the species. Males are generally smaller, thinner, and lighter in colour than females. Morgan described E. americanus as having a red hypodermal pigmentation. Thrips are known for their asymmetrical mouthparts that distinguish them from other orders. They are also known for their fringed wings.

Distribution
As its name suggests, E. americanus is native to the United States. E. americanus has been documented in the following countries: China, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Bermuda, Canada, Guadeloupe, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Australia. An unconfirmed observation of E. americanus was made in Denmark.

E. americanus has been recorded in 10 U.S. states (Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, and Virginia) as well as the District of Columbia.

E. americanus is known to occur in British Columbia as well as Ontario.

Habitat
E. americanus' are leaf dwelling thrips.

Lifecycle and reproduction
Most species of thrips have a haplo-diploid reproductive mode and reproduce via arrhenotoky (a form of parthenogenesis). Kreuger et al. (2015) report a mean lifespan of 10 - 14 days. As a species in the order Thysanoptera, E. americanus are hemimetabolous insects, meaning they undergo incomplete metamorphosis and have three distinct life stages: egg, nymph, and adult (also called imago). As a member of the suborder Terebrantia, E. americanus has two nymph instars as well as two pupal instars. The mating pattern followed by E. americanus is called assortative mating and. E. americanus exhibit assortative mating by body size.

Sex determination
E. americanus reproduce via arrhenotoky, meaning fertilized eggs develop into females while unfertilized eggs develop into males.

Human impact
Many species of thrips are polyphagous and feed extensively on foliage of both crops and ornamental plants.