Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) Captures and their Relationship with Fruit Infestation in Farms with a Diversity of Hosts

Abstract

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) and Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (both Diptera: Tephritidae) cause severe economic losses to fruit production; thus, it is important to know the population fluctuations of these pests that share the same habitat and compete for similar niches, as well as to know their relationship with fruit infestation, all of which are fundamental components for understanding how to manage the risks of infestation in farms with a diversity of susceptible hosts. In the present research, the spatio-temporal distribution of C. capitata and A. fraterculus in 3 fruit farms was analyzed together with the incidence of fruit damage in different host species and cultivars. Seventy-nine Jackson traps baited with trimedlure and 88 McPhail traps baited with Torula yeast were monitored from Sep 2014 to Jun 2016, and a total of 5,700 fruits were sampled during the 2 seasons. The Spearman correlation coefficient between captures and fruit infestation was calculated, and maps of accumulated captures and fruit infestation distribution were built by site and season. Population fluctuation and fruit infestation were plotted for both fruit fly species, whereas population fluctuation discriminated by sex was analyzed for C. capitata. The Spearman correlation coefficient between C. capitata captures in McPhail traps during the 2 wk prior to harvest and the percentage of infested fruits was 0.62 (P = 0.0001), whereas for Jackson traps it was 0.34 (P = 0.02). The correlation between A. fraterculus captures in McPhail traps and fruit infestation was 0.59 (P = 0.0001). The variation observed in the number of adults and fruit infestation of both pest species between sites and host species groups is discussed.