Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Community in Guava Orchards and Adjacent Fragments of Native Vegetation in Brazil

Abstract

We studied the community of fruit flies in an agricultural habitat (guava orchards) and the adjoining native vegetation, in a caatinga-cerrado transition region in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Sampling was conducted with McPhail traps and by collecting guavas and other fruits in native vegetation. The 3 most common fruit-fly species in the orchards were Anastrepha zenildae Zucchi, A. sororcula Zucchi, and A. fraterculus (Wiedemann), whereas the most common species in the forest fragments were A. zenildae, A. pickeli Lima, and A. montei Lima. The species of fruit flies recorded in the forests were also collected in the guava orchards. Species of economic importance, such as A. zenildae, use forest fruits as alternative hosts. Fruit-fly diversity is supported by the presence of native vegetation fragments adjacent to agricultural areas.