Invasion of the insect pest Thrips palmi into new climates has led to rapid adaptation, with chromosome inversions playing a key role in thermal tolerance. The study examined the genetic basis of adaptation in T. palmi populations across its range in China and Japan, finding that populations from southern and greenhouse environments showed clinal patterns in thermal tolerance, with critical thermal maximum (CTmax) values closely linked to latitude and temperature. Three chromosome inversions were identified, accounting for 49.9%, 19.6%, and 8.6% of the variance in CTmax among populations. These inversions, located on chromosomes chr3, chr5, and chr14, were associated with genes involved in phospholipid metabolism, energy metabolism, and oxidation-reduction. The study also found that populations with higher CTmax values had higher frequencies of these inversions, indicating their role in adaptation. The results highlight the importance of chromosome inversions as large-effect alleles in climate adaptation and the challenges of linking genomic data to adaptive phenotypic changes. The study also found that T. palmi populations show rapid and repeated adaptation to climate changes, with genetic diversity and demographic history playing a key role in this process. The findings suggest that chromosome inversions may be important in rapid response to temperature changes, reiterating the importance of structural variation in local adaptation. The study also found that climate variables, rather than geography, were more important in explaining genomic variation among populations. The results provide insights into the genomic basis of rapid evolution in invasive insects and the role of chromosome inversions in climate adaptation.Invasion of the insect pest Thrips palmi into new climates has led to rapid adaptation, with chromosome inversions playing a key role in thermal tolerance. The study examined the genetic basis of adaptation in T. palmi populations across its range in China and Japan, finding that populations from southern and greenhouse environments showed clinal patterns in thermal tolerance, with critical thermal maximum (CTmax) values closely linked to latitude and temperature. Three chromosome inversions were identified, accounting for 49.9%, 19.6%, and 8.6% of the variance in CTmax among populations. These inversions, located on chromosomes chr3, chr5, and chr14, were associated with genes involved in phospholipid metabolism, energy metabolism, and oxidation-reduction. The study also found that populations with higher CTmax values had higher frequencies of these inversions, indicating their role in adaptation. The results highlight the importance of chromosome inversions as large-effect alleles in climate adaptation and the challenges of linking genomic data to adaptive phenotypic changes. The study also found that T. palmi populations show rapid and repeated adaptation to climate changes, with genetic diversity and demographic history playing a key role in this process. The findings suggest that chromosome inversions may be important in rapid response to temperature changes, reiterating the importance of structural variation in local adaptation. The study also found that climate variables, rather than geography, were more important in explaining genomic variation among populations. The results provide insights into the genomic basis of rapid evolution in invasive insects and the role of chromosome inversions in climate adaptation.