First record of the invasive vinegar fly Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura)(Diptera: Drosophilidae) from eastern Turkey

Abstract

* Correspondence: bdalgic@hacettepe.edu.tr Invasive vinegar fly Drosophila suzukii, commonly known as spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), is a fruit crop pest endemic to Southeast Asia (Walsh et al., 2011) and was first reported outside of this region in Hawaii in the 1980s (Hauser, 2011). The first records from the North American mainland were made in 2008 from central California, USA (Hauser et al., 2009), and it is now widespread throughout the central and southern states, causing agricultural damage to summer fruits such as cherries, strawberries, and peaches (Hauser, 2011). The first records in Europe of D. suzukii were in Spain and Italy in 2008, simultaneously (Raspi et al., 2011; Calabria et al., 2012; Cini et al., 2012). However, spatial analysis of its distribution across Europe suggested the south of France as the most likely spreading center (Cini et al., 2014). Considering the close proximity of these first records to ports, it is likely that the first individuals may have arrived as eggs or larvae in fruits that had been sea-traded from Asia (Rota-Stabelli et al., 2013). The first report of crop damage in Europe was in northern Italy (Grassi et al., 2009; Calabria et al., 2012). It has also been detected in various localities across Europe (as shown in Figure 1), expanding across an altitudinal range from 27 to 1550 m above sea level; SWD has spread approximately 1400 km through infested fruits (Hauser, 2011; Calabria et al., 2012; Kiss et al., 2013). D. suzukii is taxonomically classified under genus Drosophila and subgenus Sophophora as a member of the melanogaster species group and within the suzukii species subgroup (Yang et al., 2004; Ashburner et al., 2005). In contrast to common drosophilids, which oviposit on damaged or rotting fruits, females of D. suzukii lay eggs under the soft skin of healthy, ripening fruits by using their sharp and serrated ovipositor, which wounds the host physically and leaves it vulnerable to secondary contagion by pathogens (Sasaki and Sato, 1995; Cini et al., 2012). Developing larvae, hatched from eggs, cause the fruit to become soft and rotten, which leads to substantial crop deterioration, thus making D. suzukii an economically damaging pest (Goodhue et al., 2011). Although it is difficult to estimate financial damage caused by a scientifically unknown pest such as D. suzukii, yield losses of 20% and 80% were reported in the United States in 2008 and 2009, respectively (Bolda et al., 2010; Walsh et al., 2011). In Europe, losses of up to 80% occurred in the strawberry crops of southern France in 2010 (Lee et al., 2011). Originally described in insect illustrations from Japan, D. suzukii is a red-eyed drosophilid with a yellowish brown thorax and pale brown abdomen with black transverse stripes. Males are easily recognized by having a distinct apical wing spot and 2 sets of short sex Abstract: Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is native to East Asia and invasive on the European and American continents. The first records in both Europe and the United States were in 2008. Since that year, it has widely moved across these continents. As D. suzukii females lay eggs in healthy ripening fruits of several species, particularly in small soft fruits and berries, the species causes agricultural damage. The soft thin-skinned fruit pest, identified as D. suzukii, has been found in Erzurum, Turkey, where damaged strawberry crops were observed and cultured in the middle of August and September 2014. Initially, 2 adults, 3 pupae, and several larvae were observed. Emergence of male and female adults continued for 10 more days. Here we report the first finding of D. suzukii in Turkey.