First record of the tropical red-banded thrips Selenothrips ru-brocinctus (Giard, 1901) (Thripidae: Panchaetothripinae) in Europe. First record of the tropical red-banded thrips Selenothrips ru-brocinctus (Giard, 1901) (Thripidae: Panchaetothripinae) in Europe

Red-banded thrips Selenothrips rubrocinctus (Giard, 1901) is a polyphagous pest widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Various fruit trees such as cacao, cashew, mango, avocado, and guava in certain habitats are attacked. This is the first report of spontaneous occurrence of outdoor populations of the thrips in Europe. The thrips has been found in northern Italy on Liq-uidambar styraciflua, Carpinus betulus and other ornamental forest species in urban areas. Barcode sequences of the Italian specimens were obtained.