Scirtothrips dorsalis is a Union quarantine pest that causes direct feeding damage to crops but can also have an impact by vectoring plant pathogenic viruses (EFSA Panel on Plant Health, 2014). In the past, several outbreaks of S. dorsalis have been reported in the European Union (EU) that were subsequently eradicated. However, S. dorsalis now appears to be established in the EU (EPPO,
2026a). So far, no major damage has been reported in the EU, but the impact of S. dorsalis may increase due to the introduction of viruses that this species can transmit. Therefore, this study assesses the potential impact of S. dorsalis through the transmission of viruses. However, Scirtothrips dorsalis is a cryptic species complex and the species within this complex may differ in feeding damage but also in vector competence (Toda et al., 2014; Dickey et al., 2015). Therefore, this assessment begins with a brief description of the S. dorsalis species complex.