【Aim】The banded greenhouse thrips, Hercinothrips femoralis, is a polyphagous agricultural pest with more than 50 host plants and listed as a quarantine insect in some countries and regions worldwide. In September 2020, both the adults and larvae of this species were found to damage the leaves of Alocasia odora in Beijing, China. We provide information on their morphological and molecular characteristics, geographical distribution, and host plants for their identification and control. 【Method】 Specimens were collected by the stick-beating method; genomic DNA was extracted using nondestructive methods; partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidaseⅠgene (COⅠ) were amplified for molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis; permanent slides were mounted with Canada balsam. 【Result】 The specimens were identified as H. femoralis through morphological and molecular methods. A. odora was the host plant of this alien thrips. H. femoralis is distinguished from other species of this genus by the submedian pale area of the forewing, which is shorter than that of the distal dark band. Molecular sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidaseⅠ(COⅠ) gene suggested that the Beijing population clustered in a branch with foreign populations, with sequence similarity as high as 100%. 【Conclusion】 Further investigations, monitoring, and management measures should be taken immediately to prevent the spread of this alien thrips.