Biology of the cucurbit fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coq) on host bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria

Abstract

We investigated the biology of the cucurbit fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (coq) on bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, using variety ‘BARI-Lau 1’. The mean incubation period, larval (1st, 2nd and 3rd instars), pre-pupal, pupal and total developmental periods of B. cucurbitae were 1.69±0.28, (1.72±0.33, 1.41±0.31, 2.31±0.51), 0.74±0.28, 9.2±0.78 and 36±1.69 days, respectively. The mean adult longevity, with food and without food was 14.1±1.28 and 5.0±0.81 days, respectively. The lengths of all three larval instars were 1.1± 0.9, 3.03 ± 0.95 and 6.42 ± 0.90 mm, and the widths were 0.22 ±0.11, 1.12 ± 0.01 and 2.13 ± 0.20 mm, respectively. The length and width of the pre-pupa and the pupa were 5.86 ±0.48, 5.68± 0.26 mm and 1.94 ± 0.23, 2.39±0.20 mm respectively. The length of male and female were 6.61±0.59 and 8.28±0.52 mm. The widths of males and females with wingspan were 10.97 ± 0.43 and 13.02±1.28 mm respectively. The incidence of B. cucurbitae as maggot population in bottle gourd was higher in January during the study period from December 2018 to March 2019.