Ceratitis Capitata Research Articles (Page 1)

The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is an effective strategy for controlling insect pests, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata, Wiedemann). The effectiveness of the SIT depends on the ability of the sterile males to mate and their capacity to induce sterility in wild females. This study evaluated how the irradiation age affects their sexual performance, measured by the outcome of female remating events. Males of the GSS VIENNA 8D53- were irradiated at eleven different ages, from 72 h before emergence (pupal stage) to 72 h after emergence (adult stage) and mated with wild females. These females were subsequently allowed to mate with fertile males from the fluorescent TSS VIENNA 8 1260. The presence of fluorescent offspring was used as indicator of second-male paternity. Results showed that males irradiated at post-emergence ages produced the lowest egg-to-pupae conversion rate, indicating a greater ability to prevent females from producing offspring after remating with a fertile male. In contrast, males irradiated at pre-emergence ages were associated with higher numbers of fluorescent offspring. Although no significant differences were found in mating competitiveness (RSI), the outcome of the remating showed differences in the effectiveness of initial matings. These findings highlight the importance of considering the age of flies at time of irradiation in mass-rearing protocols to enhance the efficacy of SIT programs targeting C. capitata and suggest that irradiating males later in their life cycle, such as adult stages or in pupae close to adult emergence, limit offspring if females remate with fertile males in the field.

Metabolic and microbial responses of Ceratitis capitata to essential oil-based nano-emulsions: Implications for pest management.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is considered one of the most important phytophagous pests worldwide. In Croatia, it severely affects the fresh fruit production in Dalmatia, and a national suppression action plan has been established to alleviate farmers’ burden. The aim of the current paper was to comprehensively study the overwintering dynamics of medfly in Dalmatia and investigate whether adults and pupae in addition to larvae can overwinter in different conditions, with a goal to support the establishment of a sound off-season control strategy against this pest. The off-season strategy, which was recently proposed in the frameworks of the EU Horizon 2020 funded project FF-IPM, focuses on the management of the low adult populations during winter and early spring period that has a detrimental effect on the development of the on-season summer and early autumn populations. Overwintering trials were conducted in Split (Dalmatia region, Croatia) using the local C. capitata population. Cages with different life stages (adults, pupae) or infested fruits were periodically transferred in three overwintering sites (open-field, semi-field, and urban conditions) from October to December (two to three establishment dates during the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 season). Our results provide strong evidence that, in addition to larvae within fruit, both adult and pupae can survive in significant proportions in open-field and urban conditions. Overwintering site and establishment date were both significant predictors of the overwintering success of adults, and they affect pupae developmental duration, adult emergence rates from overwintering pupae, female fecundity, and generally the overwintering ability of the pupae. Our results suggest that the current national strategy for C. capitata suppression, which is based on the assumptions of larvae overwintering need to be adjusted by development and implementation of the off-season strategy.

Efficacy and Toxicity of Bio and Chemical Insecticides Against Field and Laboratory Strains of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann)

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann, medfly) is a highly invasive agricultural pest with a considerable threat to global fruit production. Its olfactory system, mediated by odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), plays a fundamental role in key behaviors such as host localization, mate recognition, and oviposition site selection. This study presents a comprehensive homologation and systematic reclassification of CcapOBPs through comparative genomic analyses with the model organism Drosophila melanogaster Meigen and 8 Tephritidae species (tribes Dacini, Toxotrypanini, and Trypetini), supported by Bayesian phylogenetic inference. By integrating 2 genome assemblies (Ccap_2.1 and EGII-3.2.1), additional GenBank entries, a de novo head transcriptome from sexually mature wild males, and comparative analyses with D. melanogaster orthologs, we consolidated 156 candidate sequences into a homologized repertoire of 48 CcapOBPs. RT-PCR validation of 21 representative CcapObps confirmed their expression in male heads and highlighted how the de novo transcriptome recovered genes missing from individual genome assemblies, demonstrating consistency across all data sources. Phylogenetic reconstruction of CcapOBP and tephritid species revealed clustering patterns consistent with the established evolutionary relationships within the family, enabling the identification of ortholog genes, lineage-specific diversification events, gene duplications, expansions in C. capitata. However, limitations were identified in datasets for the other fruit fly species, and the need for nomenclature adjustments based on chromosomal localization. This study represents the most comprehensive OBP homologation in medfly to date, providing a robust framework for understanding the molecular evolution of chemosensory systems in Tephritidae and supporting the development of species-specific and environmentally sustainable pest management strategies.

Simple SummaryThe reproductive capacity of parasitoid wasps during their lifetime plays a crucial role in understanding their potential as biocontrol agents and the host–parasitoid dynamics. An interesting system to study involves the Southeast Asia-native parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and its host Ceratitis capitata, commonly known as the Mediterranean fruit fly or medfly, which is a serious invasive fruit fly pest in Argentina. This study compared reproductive parameters of two parasitoid population lines reared at the biofactory San Juan on different medfly strains. One line was mass-reared on medfly larvae of a genetic sexing strain (=Dl(Cc-tsl)) and the other on larvae of a wild biparental medfly strain (=Dl(Cc-bip)). The goal was to provide information for improving parasitoid mass production and evaluating its performance under natural conditions. For this, laboratory and semi-field cage trials were conducted at the San Juan Biofactory. Firstly, laboratory trials showed that Dl(Cc-bip) females displayed higher reproductive and population rates than those of Dl(Cc-tsl) females. Secondly, semi-field cage trials revealed that females of both Dl(Cc-bip) and Dl(Cc-tsl) had similar and high reproductive potential in late spring and summer, when environmental conditions are temperate–warm. However, unlike Dl(Cc-tsl) females, Dl(Cc-bip) females were reproductively active in early autumn, albeit at very low rates due to colder environmental conditions. The current study provides novel data to improve the productivity of D. longicaudata mass rearing and to achieve the most effective medfly control through parasitoid releases in the semi-arid, fruit-growing areas of Argentina.Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) or medfly is a polyphagous pest of fruit crops worldwide. The Asian-native larval parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) is mass-reared at the San Juan Biofactory and is currently released for medfly control in Argentina. Information on parasitoid survival, reproduction, and population growth parameters is critical for optimizing the mass-rearing process and successfully achieving large-scale release. This study provides a first-time insight into the demography of two population lines of D. longicaudata: one mass-reared on medfly larvae of the Vienna-8 temperature-sensitive lethal genetic sexing strain and the other on larvae of the wild biparental medfly strain. The aim was to compare both parasitoid populations to improve mass-rearing quality and to assess performance on medfly in a semi-arid environment, typical of Argentina’s central-western fruit-growing region. Tests were performed under laboratory and non-controlled environmental conditions in semi-field cages during three seasons. Dl(Cc-bip) females exhibited higher reproductive potential than did Dl(Cc-tsl) females under lab conditions. However, both Dl(Cc-bip) and Dl(Cc-tsl) were found to be similar high-quality females with high population growth rates in warm–temperate seasons, i.e., late spring and summer. Dl(Cc-bip) females were only able to sustain low reproductive rates in early autumn, a colder season. These results are useful for improving the parasitoid mass production at the San Juan Biofactory and redesigning parasitoid release schedules in Argentina’s irrigated, semi-arid, fruit-growing regions.

Behavioral differences between related insects may inform how pest management strategies or conservation efforts are tailored to specific species. Movement behavior is particularly important, but few studies have undertaken head-to-head comparisons to evaluate differences in interspecific movement. This study used harmonic radar to simultaneously track 2 agriculturally important tephritid fruit fly species, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), in an outdoor cage (experiment 1) and a coffee field (experiments 2 and 3) to assess fly directional movement, distance, and speed parameters. In general, both fly species have similar movement parameters. However, experiment 2 showed B. dorsalis to be more active with fewer induced movements and less time needed to record the target number of movement steps. This was supported by a laboratory bioassay (experiment 4) that confirmed B. dorsalis were more active. Mean step-distances only differed in experiment 2 and were longer for C. capitata. Experiment 3 tracked tagged flies over time with 2 B. dorsalis located after 3 d post-release while no C. capitata were located after 48 h. Both species generally move with the prevailing wind. While this study found some differences in movement behaviors between these 2 fly pests, fly movement parameters were more similar than expected, suggesting that it may be possible to characterize the movement of key insect species and then generalize these findings to related taxa. If this is possible, control and detection strategies optimized with movement data from one species may be transferable to other pests, thereby increasing the impact of movement research.

Ceratitis capitata (medfly), a major agricultural pest, is predominantly controlled using chemical insecticides, which pose environmental risks. Ecosustainable alternatives, such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), rely on the mass release of sterile male-only progeny. However, sexing of male offspring requires the elimination of females during development. To overcome the loss of 50% of the progeny, the sex reversal of females into XX fertile males at embryonic stages by dsRNA injections was effective but not scalable. This study demonstrates the efficacy of Dicer-substrate small interfering RNAs (DsiRNAs) as an alternative to long double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) for targeting the sex determination genes Cctransformer and Cctransformer-2 in the medfly, which causes full masculinization of XX individuals. Injection of DsiRNAs into XX embryos induced the expression of male-specific Cctra isoforms within a few hours, resulting in the development of adult masculinized XX flies. Additionally, thoracic injection of DsiRNAs in adult females achieved systemic gene silencing, reducing Cctra/Cctra-2 transcript levels in the ovaries by 75%-80% within 48 h. The reduced size of DsiRNAs compared to dsRNAs enhances their potential for alternative delivery methods, including embryo permeabilization, electroporation, and feeding in larvae or adult females. These findings provide a potential foundation for future scalable conditional masculinization of XX individuals rather than relying on female lethality, doubling male-only productivity. Developing novel sexing methods as an alternative to transgenic approaches will expand the applicability of SIT.

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) is a destructive polyphagous pest that affects many agricultural crops. While insecticides are commonly used to control its populations, the widespread and excessive use of these chemicals has led to increased resistance globally. Gut microbiota may influence insect behavior and physiology, potentially contributing to this resistance. In this study, high throughput 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to characterize the gut microbiota of both insecticide-susceptible and insecticide-resistant strains of C. capitata, aiming to investigate the potential role of symbiotic bacteria in the medfly resistance development in. Three resistant strains were selected under laboratory conditions by exposing the adult-rearing diet to increasing concentrations of malathion, dimethoate, and spinosad over successive generations. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) analyses revealed significant differences in gut microbiota structure between resistant and susceptible strains (p < 0.001). Insecticide-resistant strains showed a microbiota composition shift upon insecticide exposure. Notably, Serratia spp. and Buttiauxella spp. exhibited a sharp decline in resistant strains, while Enterococcus spp. and Klebsiella spp. showed a significant increase (p < 0.001). Resistant strains showed lower bacterial richness and diversity, suggesting an enrichment of bacteria that have a competitive advantage under insecticide selection pressure. Functional predictions indicated distinct metabolic differences, with resistant strains displaying enhanced activities related to xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism. This suggests a potential association between these bacteria and insecticide resistance; however, further studies are necessary to determinate whether these bacteria directly contribute to the degradation or detoxification of insecticides.

Essential oils (EOs) from the leaves of Origanum vulgare subsp. virens (Hoffmanns. & Link) Bonnier & Layens, representing three chemotypes—thymol-rich, carvacrol-rich, and a mixed thymol–carvacrol type—were chemically characterized and comparatively assessed for their antifungal, insecticidal, and enzyme-inhibitory activities. This integrated approach provides a comparative assessment of all three chemotypes across multiple biological models, including phytopathogenic fungi, insect bioassays, and key enzyme targets. All EOs displayed antifungal activity for the tested phytopathogenic fungi (Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, and Fusarium oxysporum) at concentrations above 0.5 mg/mL, with the thymol-rich chemotype showing the highest activity. The minimum inhibition concentration for Oidium farinosum conidial growth was determined and found to be similar for thymol and carvacrol chemotypes and lower for the terpene mixture. Insect control activity was evaluated by an antifeeding assay, where carvacrol and especially thymol chemotypes can be classified as feeding deterrents. EOs and standards revealed a weak toxicity against Ceratitis capitata, with less than 20% mortality at a concentration of 50 mg/mL, and both chemotypes were found to be ineffective in preventing egg deposition. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition assay revealed that carvacrol had the greatest inhibitory effect on AChE, followed by EOs, and, finally, thymol. Regarding the α- and β-glucosidase (α- and β-GLU) inhibitory assays, thymol had the strongest inhibitory effect on α-GLU, while plant β-GLU was not inhibited by the standards or OEs.

The fallacy of the integrated pest management paradigm and the need for its OFF seasonal shift in the management of tropical fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae): The case of Ceratitis capitata

Abstract Little is known about how past and current thermal environment interact to determine dispersal in novel environments, and thus invasion potential of major agricultural pests. In this study, we tested experimentally how adult thermal history affects flight‐related traits under diverse thermal conditions in three major agricultural pests of invasion concern: Bactrocera dorsalis , Bactrocera zonata and Ceratitis capitata . Across all species, the main factor affecting flight performance was body mass, with heavier individuals performing best. Both current and, to a lesser extent, past thermal environments affected flight performance and periodicity (flight interruptions), although their interaction was rarely significant. Furthermore, we show that 20°C acclimation can have deleterious effects regardless of thermal conditions during flight, particularly in Bactrocera females, which had decreased flight performance and increased flight periodicity when acclimated at this temperature. The thermal environment during flight affected both flight periodicity and performance mainly in females of C. capitata and B. dorsalis , while only flight performance was affected in B. zonata males. When compared to warmer temperatures, flight at 20°C tended to reduce flight performance, but flight periodicity increased at 30°C compared to 20°C. Overall, the flight performance of B. dorsalis was greater than that of C. capitata or B. zonata , regardless of the past and present thermal environment, but flight periodicity was lower in C. capitata . In all three species investigated, optimal flight performance occurs around 25°C, and flies will therefore cover more distance around this temperature. The lack of interaction between past and current thermal environments in these three species indicates that flight‐related traits may have low thermal plasticity. Finally, our results suggest that a reduction in thermal variability and average temperatures increasing temperate areas by a few degrees with climate change may facilitate movements of tropical tephritid pests in new areas at higher latitudes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Assessing the quarantine potential of ethyl formate as a stand-alone phytosanitary treatment against Ceratitis capitata: A comparative study on naked condition and natural infestation in mandarin

Comparison of electrophysiological and behavioral responses of tephritid (Diptera: Tephritidae) pests to cucurbit host odors.

ABSTRACTThe Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the most critical agricultural pests, causing economic damage globally due to its wide range of fruit hosts. Conventional insecticides have brought environmental, human health, and resistance challenges, driving interest in semiochemicals as sustainable pest management alternatives. Potential molecular attractants can be assessed experimentally through methods such as electroantennography (EAG) or behavioral assays. Odorant Binding Proteins (OBPs) have been recognized as crucial mediators in detecting these chemical signals. Although isolated compounds can provide mechanistic insights, volatile blends more accurately reflect natural conditions and typically elicit stronger behavioral responses. However, designing effective blends is challenging due to their complexity and regulatory limitations. Therefore, curated molecular databases of potential attractants become essential to accelerate the discovery and reduce cost in research programs, both in vitro and in vivo tests. The in silico molecular approaches, including Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationships (QSAR), offer cost‐effective methods to prioritize candidates and/or understand ligand‐OBP interactions. In this study, computational methodologies including Machine Learning (ML) based QSAR, molecular docking and MD simulations were integrated to highlight molecular features of standard molecules and identify potential attractors for C. capitata, which are expected to be good OBP binders. Initially, was applied a Bee Colony Algorithm, combined with an final XGBoost Machine Learning model, enabled the identification of five essential molecular descriptors to explain the attractant effect of 20 standard compounds recognized in the literature. Applying this model to an online database of natural products from Brazil (NuBBE—Nuclei of Bioassays, Ecophysiology and Biosynthesis of Natural Products Database), 206 molecules were identified from over 2000 candidates. In a parallel front of investigation, docking‐based virtual screening was performed using the same NuBBE database. Most promissory compounds were discussed based on binding energy, structure/geometry focusing on interactions and estimated volatility, through the evaluation of vapor pressure. MD simulations with the gold standard compound (E,E)‐α‐farnesene provided insights into ligand‐protein interactions. Interestingly, 16 of the top 20 ranked compounds after dockings were predicted as attractors by the XGBoost model. Finally, the curated database of 206 compounds, the great contribution of this paper (beyond the model), can be used to assertively select molecules for experimental tests of future blends or isolated compounds.

BackgroundInsect gut microbiomes, including tephritid fruit flies, are shaped by multiple endogenous and environmental factors. While host species is a well-known driver of the gut microbiome of adult tephritids, the influence of sex is less clear. Our study evaluated the impacts of host sex and species influence the microbiome in laboratory-reared tephritids when controlled for location, time, and adult diet. We evaluated the gut microbiome of four lines of pest tephritid fruit fly adults (Bactrocera dorsalis, Bactrocera latifrons, Ceratitis capitata, Zeugodacus cucurbitae) using near full-length 16S rRNA sequencing with a PacBio Kinnex concatenation-based approach. We analyzed groups of males and females from each species at the same set of time, across four timepoints in a core insectary.ResultsResults demonstrate a clear impact of fruit fly species on the gut microbiome composition of the different fruit flies. Furthermore, for B. dorsalis, B. latifrons, and C. capitata, we saw an influence of sex on ASV composition. However, while there was a separation of samples between the sexes for each timepoint, there was no characteristic male or female microbiome in all cases. The use of near full-length 16S rRNA sequencing did not have a marked improvement in beta-diversity interpretation over V4 subunit, with most detected taxa matching those described from other tephritids, but did allow for improved taxonomic classification at the genus level.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that under laboratory conditions, different fruit fly species still exhibit distinct microbiomes. The impact of sex did have an impact on the gut microbiome of some species, but the magnitude of effect differed between hosts. This indicates that the sex has some impact on structuring the gut microbiome, but in a case-by-case basis. While full-length 16S rRNA sequencing affords improved classification, our study did not indicate an improvement over partial-fragments on beta-diversity metrics.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-025-04025-0.

Ceratitis capitata, is one of the most considerable invasive pests affecting fruit production worldwide. Conventional pesticides are generally formulated using organic solvents and emulsifiers that, in turn, are flammable and toxic. Thanks to their small size and biocompatibility, liposome-like formulations may significantly improve the efficacy and safety of conventional pesticides. This study aims to develop an alternative and innovative etofenprox formulation based on phospholipid vesicles (ethosomes) and evaluate its possible application for agricultural pest control. Ethosomes and geraniol-ethosomes were prepared by the one-step sonication method, achieving vesicles with small sizes (around 267nm) and low polydispersity index (around 0.04). These vesicles were stable over 90days of storage at room temperature and could slow the release of etofenprox (57 ± 4% released), in comparison with a commercial formulation (85 ± 5% released) after 24h. Ethosomes and geraniol-ethosomes showed similar retention properties on lemon leaves (13.3 ± 1.0 to 14.4 ± 1.2mg/cm2) under laboratory condition. After open-field application, geraniol-ethosomes left the highest etofenprox residues on lemon leaves (14.3 ± 1.0mg/kg), whereas the commercial formulation on the flavedo (4.1 ± 0.5mg/kg). This result highlighted the possibility of reducing the application dose of etofenprox loaded in geraniol-ethosomes especially during the BBCH stage before fruiting. Both formulations displayed good biocompatibility with no significant cytotoxic effects on human keratinocytes (HaCat cells) across different etofenprox concentrations. Furthermore, laboratory bioassays revealed that geraniol-ethosomes exhibited a prolonged toxicity when sprayed against Ceratitis capitata adults, attributed to sustained release kinetics, underscoring their potential in environmentally sustainable agricultural pest management.

ABSTRACTThe main purpose of this article is to present a complete bibliometric analysis of research publications on Ceratitis capitata, covering the period from 1984 to 2023. Using the Scopus database and VOSviewer software, we examined 1993 documents to uncover publication trends, key research themes, influential authors and institutions. The Scopus database offers comprehensive coverage of peer‐reviewed literature, while VOSviewer visualises complex bibliometric data. From 1984 to 1994, the number of publications fluctuated but generally increased from 10 to 20 documents per year to approximately 30–40. Notable spikes occurred around 2007, 2011 and 2019 to 2022, reaching over 75 documents per year, indicating intense research activity. Papadopoulos emerges as a central figure, collaborating strongly with others like Hendrichs and Zacharopoulou. Authors like Shelly and Jang also hold prominent positions. The co‐occurrence network visualisation generated with VOSviewer revealed 7836 keywords from the dataset, with 452 appearing at least 10 times. Keywords are grouped into clusters based on related themes or research focuses. Among countries, the USA is prominently featured as the largest node in the visualisation, playing a pivotal role in fostering international scientific collaborations. Our findings highlight significant developments in the field, reflecting evolving scientific interest and advancements in understanding and managing this major agricultural pest. This understanding is crucial for developing more effective and sustainable pest control strategies to mitigate the impact on global fruit production.

In 1912–13, the Territory of Hawaii dispatched Italian entomologist Filippo Silvestri to undertake a search for parasites who agricultural officials hoped could be used to curtail the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), a recent arrival in the islands. The history of Silvestri’s expedition provides an opportunity to contemplate the overlapping geographies and ecologies of humans and insects. Efforts to use insects for purposes of biological control of insect pests combined biogeographical and political relationships. Silvestri’s expedition relied on forging inter-imperial scientific networks and reflected the ways in which global imperialism constituted a collaborative project. C. capitata played a pivotal role in shaping these networks through its own mobility and biogeography.

Abstract Oviposition and agonistic behaviour are important traits for understanding the pattern of coexistence and choice of host fruit shared between natives and invasive species. This study aimed to evaluate the interspecific interactions and the choice of the oviposition sites among three native species of fruit flies of the genus Anastrepha: Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart), Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann), Anastrepha sororcula Zucchi, and an invasive species, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). The interactions between species were measured by counting the number of eggs laid in semi‐ripe and ripe guavas (Psidium guajava L.) in intra and interspecific combinations. Additionally, we compared the absolute frequency of agonistic behaviours in interactions between native and invasive fruit flies. The native species of Anastrepha did not change their preference for the fruit ripening stage, even in face of the invader C. capitata. Anastrepha species and C. capitata preferred to oviposit in semi‐ripe fruits, in all experimental scenarios. We also observed that C. capitata avoided interactions with the native species by preferring to oviposit in ripe fruits when in the presence of Anastrepha species. All species reduced the number of laid eggs when in the presence of heterospecific females. Aggression was the most frequent agonistic behaviour in all species combinations, followed by display/stalking and avoidance. Finally, our results showed that aggression behaviour was the most frequent in interactions of Anastrepha species with C. capitata.