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"The only reported difference between these two species is the length of the pronotal posteroangular pair of setae (Mound et al. 1995)."
- from Held et al, 2005

The differences between the Cuban Laurel Thrips, Gynaikothrips ficorum, and the Weeping Fig Thrips, Gynaikothrips uzeli, are minimal. This seems to be a typical problem with many of the genera of thrips, and is a strong motivator for other means (Brunner et al, 2002) by which to identify individual species.

REFERENCES

• Brunner, PC; Flemming, C; Frey, JE (2002). "A molecular identification key for economically important thrips species (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) using direct sequencing and a PCR-RFLP-based approach." Agricultural and Forest Entomology, 4: 127 – 136.
• Held, DW; Boyd, D; Lockley, T; Edwards, GB (2005). "Gynaikothrips uzeli (Thysanoptera: Phlaethripidae) in the southeastern United States: distribution and review of biology." Florida Entomologist, 88(4):538 - 540.
• Mound, LA; Wang, CL; Okajima, S (1995). "Observations in Taiwan on the identity of the Cuban laurel thrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae)." Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 103: 185 - 190.