Abstract
The Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni; Q-fly) is an Australian endemic horticultural pest species, which has caused enormous economic losses. It has the potential to expand its range to currently Q-fly-free areas and poses a serious threat to the Australian horticultural industry. A large number of studies have investigated the correlation between environmental factors and Q-fly development, reproduction, and expansion. However, it is still not clear how Q-fly morphological traits vary with the environment. Our study focused on three morphological traits (body size, wing shape, and fluctuating asymmetry) in Q-fly samples collected from 1955 to 1965. We assessed how these traits vary by sex, and in response to latitude, environmental variables, and geographic distance. First, we found sexual dimorphism in body size and wing shape, but not in fluctuating asymmetry. Females had a larger body size but shorter and wider wings than males, which may be due to reproductive and/or locomotion differences between females and males. Secondly, the body size of Q-flies varied with latitude, which conforms to Bergmann’s rule. Finally, we found Q-fly wing shape was more closely related to temperature rather than aridity, and low temperature and high aridity may lead to high asymmetry in Q-fly populations.
Highlights
The Queensland fruit fly (Q-fly), Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), is a major horticultural pest species in Australia
There were significant differences (Figure 3) between males and females in body size (t = 5.4727, df = 329, p < 0.0001), average wing aspect ratio (t = −3.2096, df = 329, p = 0.0015), and relative wing df = 329, p < 0.0001), average wing aspect ratio (t = −3.2096, df = 329, p = 0.0015), and relative wing aspect ratio (t = −6.1878, df = 329, p < 0.0001), but we found no significant difference between females aspect ratio (t = −6.1878, df = 329, p < 0.0001), but we found no significant difference between females and males for fluctuating asymmetry
We found sexual dimorphism in body size and wing shape, but similar symmetrical growth in the Q-fly
Summary
The Queensland fruit fly (Q-fly), Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), is a major horticultural pest species in Australia. The Q-fly has a wide range of host species, including hundreds of native and introduced fruits and vegetables [1,2]. Adult Q-flies cause considerable economic losses in Australian horticultural industries as they lay eggs in the fruit of the host species on which the larva feed. It is estimated that the Australian government spent over AUD 48 million on Q-fly control and management during. Before the colonization by Europeans, the Q-fly was native to coastal areas and tropical rainforests of Queensland and northern New South Wales [4,5].
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