Effects of Niacin Deficiency on Growth and Development of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)1

Abstract

Deletion of niacin from an artificial diet developed for the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), resulted in high larval mortality, reduced pupation, longer time to pupation, and low adult emergence. Addition of niacin antagonists to complete diets had no effect at the concentration tested. Niacin deficiency could not be overcome by addition of tryptophan to the diet. However, when either niacinamide or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) replaced niacin, growth and development appeared normal. The importance of both niacin and niacinamide as precursors to the pyridine nucleotides supports the notion that physiological processes involving these nucleotides may be affected.