Taxonomic Keys to Economic Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) of the Sudan

Abstract

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are among the main constraints that limit the horticultural production in Sudan. The country has an enormous potential for horticultural production, over its wide range of climatic conditions and diverse ecosystems, but is threatened by an invasion of exotic fruit flies over its borders, due to weak interception and quarantine procedures. Thus, the correct identification of the pest is the first step in a management strategy for fruit flies. This study was carried out in order to produce identification keys for the economic fruit flies found in the Sudan. Intensive searching in the data of the National Insect Collection was carried out to ascertain the taxonomic status of the family Tephritidae (the true fruit flies) and its species of economic importance, among families of the order Diptera (the true flies). Specimens of fruit flies were identified morphologically at the National Insect Collection Unit at the Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) and Faculty of Agriculture Biology Laboratory. The morphological identification of African tephritid fruit flies largely depends on the use of classical single-entry (dichotomous) keys. Taxonomic keys for the family Tephritidae and its genera were prepared, following the fruit fly taxonomic keys of White and Harris (Fruit flies of economic significance: their identification and bionomics. CAB International, Wallingford, 601 pp, 1992), De Meyer and Copeland (Taxonomic notes on the Afrotropical subgenera Ceratitis (Acroptromma) Bezzi and C. (Holpolophomiya) Bezzi (Diptera: Tephritide). Cimbebasia 17:77–84, 2001), and Billah (2005). As a result, six taxonomic keys for fruit flies were prepared: an introductory key to the family Tephritidae; and a key to the economic genera of Tephritidae, including Ceratitis spp., Dacus spp., Bactrocera spp. and Carpomya spp. from Sudan.