Haplothrips-niger-complex
Guides
Haplothrips leucanthemi
clover thrips, red clover thrips
Haplothrips leucanthemi is a tube-tailed thrips species in the family Phlaeothripidae, originally described from Europe and now recorded across North and South America. It is florivorous, feeding on flowers and pollen of Asteraceae plants, and has been observed as an effective pollinator of these hosts. The species is bisexual, contrasting with the parthenogenetic form H. niger, which molecular and microbiota studies suggest is conspecific or a biotype of H. leucanthemi rather than a distinct species.