Fruit Fly Monitoring Research Articles

Evaluation of Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) Attractants in Northeastern Ethiopia

A study was conducted in South Wollo and North Wollo administrative zones of northeastern Ethiopia in 2018; Torula yeast, protien hydrolase, methyl eugenol, trimed lure and terpinyil acetate were evaluated for adult fruit fly species complexes trapping. Four fruit fly species was trapped; Bactrocera dorsalis, Ceratitis cosyra, Ceratitis capitata and Ceratitis fasciventris. Bactrocera dorsalis was the most abundant species accounted for 97.9% of the total trapped adults. The number of B. dorsalis C. cosyra and C. capitata showed a significant difference among trapping locations and attractants; The highest number of B. dorsalis was trapped with methyl eugenol at Kalu (722.2 flies/ trap/ week); C. capitata was higher at Habru which was guava and coffee dominated habitat while C. cosyra was relatively higher at Kobo which is mango dominated; more adults were trapped in male lure traps (97.03%) than food-based attractants (2.97%); food-based attractants could be valuable alternatives for detection and monitoring of fruit flies.

A fast and reliable larval sampling method for improving the monitoring of fruit flies in soft and stone fruits.

The spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), threatens both the soft-skinned and stone fruit industry in Asia, Europe, and America. Integrated pest management requires monitoring for infestation rates in real time. Although baited traps for adult D. suzukii are widely used for field monitoring, trap captures are weakly correlated to larval infestation rates. Thus, monitoring for larvae instead of adult flies represents the most reliable monitoring technique. Current methods for larval monitoring (e.g., sugar or salt floatation) are time-consuming and labor-intensive. In this study, we develop a new "sleeve method" for detecting larvae in strawberries through the inspection of individual fruits crushed within transparent plastic sleeves. Samples can be optionally frozen until further processing. Based on count data from non-expert observers, the estimation of larval infestation with the sleeve method is fast, precise, and highly repeatable within and among observers. Mean processing time is half the time compared to previous methods (33-80 s per sample depending on infestation levels). As the accuracy of the sleeve method decreases with infestation levels, we suggest ways to improve its accuracy by incubating fruits for 48 h and calibrating data using fruits with a known number of larvae. The method could also be used in other fruits, as it is easier to use, faster, and requires less equipment than previous monitoring methods. Finally, the method represents a promising tool for growers or researchers to effectively monitor and manage D. suzukii and other insect pests of soft and stone fruits.

Farmer's Survey and Monitoring of Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Citrus Orchards of Ramechhap District, Nepal

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are devastating pests in citrus orchards of Nepal causing huge losses of fruits. A farmer's survey was carried from March to December, 2021 randomly selecting 40 citrus orchard owners, and at the same time, a field monitoring of fruit flies organised in randomized complete block design with 7 times replicated 3 treatments (Cue lure and malathion in Steiner trap, Methyl eugenol and malathion in Steiner trap and protein bait in McPhail trap) were conducted in Ramechhap district of Nepal. Survey revealed that Chinese citrus fly was the most problematic insect pest of citrus orchard. However, only few farmers were practising effective control measures against this pest. Nine species of fruit flies were trapped in different lures and protein bait, when the number of fruit flies differed significantly (p<0.05) except Bactrocera correcta and Zeugodacus cucurbitae, which were found attracted in negligible number in Methyl eugenol and Cue lure, respectively. Z. scutellaris, Z. tau, B. nigrofemoralis were attracted to Cue lure. B. dorsalis and B. zonata were attracted to Methyl eugenol and B. minax, B. nigrofemoralis and Dacus sphaeroidalis were attracted in protein bait. The study concluded that the male lures and protein bait were useful to monitor specific fruit fly species in citrus orchards, hence their management strategies should be made accordingly.

Monitoring of fruit fly in mandarin orchards of Jajarkot, Nepal: A mixed-method approach

The study was conducted to access the species diversity of fruit fly and their population dynamics, awareness among mandarin growers on the nature of damage, and factors affecting the awareness in the Jajarkot district of Nepal in 2021. The study consists of two parts: farmer’s survey and monitoring of fruit flies. The farmer’s survey was carried out in randomly selected sixty households whose orchards were at least five years old in command areas of citrus zone, Jajarkot. Fruit fly monitoring was done in three mandarin orchards of Kushe Rural Municipality and Bheri Municipality using cue-lure, methyl eugenol, and great fruit fly bait. The survey revealed that only thirty percent of the farmers were aware of the nature of fruit fly damage. Experience in mandarin cultivation was found to be significantly affecting the awareness of mandarin growers on fruit fly damage. The mandarin growers were practicing pruning, collection and destruction of fallen fruits, use of chemicals, and traps for fruit fly management. Monitoring data revealed that there were four major fruit fly species. Among the lures used, cue-lure attracted more number of fruit flies, followed by methyl eugenol and great fruit fly bait. Cue-lure trap was effective in trapping Bactrocera nigrofemoralis, Zeugodacus tau, and Zeugodacus scutellaris whereas methyl eugenol was found effective in trapping Bactrocera dorsalis. Great fruit fly bait captured Bactrocera nigrofemoralis and Zeugodacus tau, but in lesser number. The number of all the species of fruit fly started increasing in April and reached the highest during May.

Mango phenology and fruit fly population dynamics in the transition zone of Ghana.

Crop phenological studies are vital in the formulation of effective integrated pest management packages. A 2-year phenological study spanning 2017-2019 was conducted in eight mango orchards in the transition zone of Ghana, to determine the relationship between the aggregation of culprit fruit fly species and the phenology of the mango crop. A total of 160 shoots were tagged and observed weekly for the plant's developmental processes using the Biologische Bundesantalt, Bundessortenamt and Chemische Industrie mango phenological scale as a guide. Fruit fly monitoring was conducted with two para pheromone attractants (methyl eugenol and terpinyl acetate) in 32 improvised traps. Host fruits sampled at colour break and ripe stages were incubated to identify culprit species. Significant infestation levels were assessed with one way analysis of variance. Three culprit species (Bactrocera dorsalis, Ceratitis cosyra and Ceratitis ditissima) emerged from incubated fruits. Co-infestation between B. dorsalis and C. cosyra was observed mostly at colour break. A residual population of B. dorsalis was observed throughout the crop cycle but peaked at the colour break phenological stage in May and early June, and dropped in August (at post-harvest). The interaction among fruit fly species, season, fruit source and phenological stage of the fruit was significant (P = 0.016). C. cosyra appeared at the beginning of anthesis, increased during flowering to fruit set and peaked in April when fruits were nearing maturity and green. It is therefore important that management practices are implemented throughout the phenological cycle of the crop but intensified from anthesis to post-harvest to reduce pest populations and damage.

Long-term fruit fly monitoring and impact of the systems approach on richness and abundance

AbstractWe investigated ecological patterns of richness and abundance of Anastrepha fruit flies, based on a long-term series with a dataset from 1998 to 2010, subdivided into four subseries describing pest management through the systems approach (integration of different measures, at least two of which act independently, with cumulative effects), and its impact on abundance and diversity of fruit flies. Richness and abundance were influenced by time and distance but to different extents. Spatio-temporal analysis taking into account the implementation of the systems approach revealed clear effects of the pest management on fruit fly richness and abundance. However, abundance was affected by the systems approach three years before richness was. Abundance and richness also showed different relationships with time and distance between orchards and forest. The Gompertz model, used to describe the relationship between area and species richness, was the function that showed the best fit to the data. The richness-partitioning analysis, which decomposes beta diversity, indicated different distributions of richness values and predictions for additive partitioning that were directly associated with the implementation of the systems approach. The spectral analysis projected different trends for peaks, indicating that the systems approach is able to delay the time for new population peaks of fruit flies.

Influence of the height of multilure traps in the collection of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) is a polyphagous pest adapted to tropical and subtropical climates, which are responsible for the highest share of fruit production. Fruit fly surveys are frequently done by installing traps at heights easily reached by the collector, between 1.5 and 2.5 meters. This study aims to inform fruit fly monitoring strategies by assessing two trap heights (around 2 m and 10 m) in four environments (agricultural and forest) at the “Luiz de Queiroz” Campus, Piracicaba, São Paulo state, Brazil. Each collection environment was considered a block, and eight multilure traps were installed at each of the two heights on four plants per block. A generalized linear model was used for non-normal data with negative binomial distribution to compare the abundance of C. capitata between trap heights and areas. The higher traps, positioned at around 10 m, collected significantly more specimens of C. capitata than those at approximately 2 m in height. The Mediterranean fruit fly was more frequent in the cultivated environments and areas with human activity than in natural areas.

BIOLOGICAL TOOLS FOR CONTROLLING THE MAIN PESTS OF SWEET CHERRY

The paper presents the data collected from an ecological plot of sweet cherries with an area of 0.5 ha, where different methods of monitoring and combating the main pests were tested: European cherry fruit fly - Rhagoletis cerasi L. and black cherry aphid - Myzus cerasi F. The study took place during the years 2019-2020. European cherry fruit fly monitoring - Rhagoletis cerasi L. was performed with both atraCERAS optical panels and Decis Trap devices, with both a warning and control role, the results obtained highlighting a similar flight dynamics. The control of the European cherry fruit fly, carried out by direct control with the help of Decis Trap devices, the dose of 100 traps / ha, proved to be effective, the Abbott effectiveness indicator registering values between 83.4 - 90.5% in 2019, respectively 81.6 - 87.8% in 2020, depending on the studied variety. To control the black cherry aphid - Myzus cerasi F., the product Prev-Am was mainly used, based on orange oil, which was used with good results for the first attacks observed.

Digital video recorder for Raspberry PI cameras with multi-camera synchronous acquisition

Video acquisition and analysis have become integral parts of scientific research. Two major components of a video acquisition system are the choice of camera and the acquisition software. A vast variety of cameras are available on the market. Turnkey multi-camera synchronous acquisition software, however, is not as widely available. For prototyping applications, the Raspberry Pi (RPi) has been widely utilized due to many factors, including cost. There are implementations for video acquisition and preview from a single RPi camera, including one implementation released by the RPi organization itself. However, there are no multi-camera acquisition solutions for the RPi. This paper presents an open-source digital video recorder (DVR) system for the popular RPi camera. The DVR is simple to setup and use for acquisition with a single camera or multiple cameras. In the case of multiple cameras, the acquisition is synchronized between cameras. The DVR comes with a graphical user interface (GUI) to allow previewing the camera streams, setting recording parameters, and associating “names” to cameras. The acquisition code as well as the DVR GUI are written in Python. The open-source software also includes a GUI for playback of recorded video. The versatility of the DVR is demonstrated with a life science research application involving high-throughput monitoring of fruit-flies.

Willingness to pay for area-wide management and sterile insect technique to control fruit flies in Australia

Fruit flies are a biosecurity threat to international trade of horticultural produce around the world. Area-wide management (AWM) of fruit flies offers a promising solution to coordinate farmers’ activities to fight against the spread of this pest. The incorporation of the sterile insect technique (SIT) may increase the effectiveness of AWM and lead to greater suppression and possible eradication of the fruit fly pest. This article presents findings from a choice experiment survey to ascertain the willingness to pay (WTP) for the benefits of a suite of AWM features and SIT. These features include the benefits from (1) coordinated fruit fly monitoring, (2) coordinated on-farm male annihilation of fruit flies, (3) management of fruit fly in residential areas, and (4) coordinated release of sterile flies. This is the first study of its kind to assess the WTP for AWM and SIT in a developed country. Results suggest that growers are willing to pay for SIT and coordinated fruit fly management in residential areas but are not willing to pay for other coordinated services that they are already practicing on their farms.

The Survival of Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Over Winter in Western Australia.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the most economically important pest insects of fruit crops worldwide. Mediterranean fruit fly can cause up to 100% crop loss in susceptible fruit. In order to formulate best management practices, it is critical to understand how Mediterranean fruit fly overwinters in a given geographical location and bridge the gap between autumn and spring populations. In this study, we evaluated the overwintering potential of Mediterranean fruit fly immature and adult stages in two locations in Perth Hills, Western Australia. We also monitored wild adult Mediterranean fruit fly populations for 2 yr. Adults were present year-round with captures very low in winter to early spring relative to summer and autumn. Field experiments revealed that immature stages in apples (eggs/first instar) and soil (pupae) remained viable in winter, emerging as adults at the onset of warmer weather in spring. In field cages, adults survived 72-110 d, and female laid viable eggs when offered citrus fruit, though only 1-6% eggs survived to emerge as adults. Adults survived longer in field cages when offered live citrus branch. The findings suggest that all Mediterranean fruit fly life stages can survive through mild winter, and surviving adults, eggs in the fruit and/or pupae in the soil are the sources of new population that affect the deciduous fruit crops in Perth. We recommend that Mediterranean fruit fly monitoring is required year-round and control strategies be deployed in spring. Furthermore, we recommend removal of fallen fruit particularly apple and other winter fruit such as citrus.

Combining Cue-Lure and Methyl Eugenol in Traps Significantly Decreases Catches of Most Bactrocera, Zeugodacus and Dacus Species (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae) in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Male fruit fly attractants, cue-lure (CL) and methyl eugenol (ME), are important in the monitoring and control of pest fruit fly species. Species respond to CL or ME but not both, and there are conflicting reports on whether combining CL (or its hydroxy analogue raspberry ketone) and ME decreases their attractiveness to different species. Fruit fly monitoring programs expend significant effort using separate CL and ME traps and avoiding lure cross-contamination, and combining the two lures in one trap would create substantial savings. To determine if combining lures has an inhibitory effect on trap catch, CL and ME wicks placed in the same Steiner trap were field tested in comparison to CL alone and ME alone in Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). In Australia, 24 out of 27 species trapped were significantly more attracted to CL or ME alone than the combination ME/CL lure, including the pests Bactrocera bryoniae (Tryon), B. frauenfeldi (Schiner), B. kraussi (Hardy), B. neohumeralis (Hardy), B. tryoni (Froggatt) (CL-responsive), and B. musae (Tryon) (ME-responsive). In PNG, 13 out of 16 species trapped were significantly more attracted to CL or ME alone than the ME/CL combination, including the pests B. bryoniae, B. frauenfeldi, B. neohumeralis, B. trivialis (Drew), Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (CL-responsive) and B. dorsalis (Hendel), B. musae, and B. umbrosa (Fabricius) (ME-responsive). This study shows that combining CL and ME in the one trap in equal parts significantly reduces catches of most species of Dacini fruit flies in Australia and PNG.

English

The diversity of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in commercial guava orchards in the Northwest region of Espirito Santo, Brazil was recorded. Also, their population dynamics, correlation with climatic factors and their parasitoids were recorded. This study was carried out in three commercial guava orchards of the cultivar Paluma, located in the municipality of Sao Roque do Canaa, Central region of the Northwestern Capixaba territory, from October 2013 to September 2014. The population monitoring of fruit flies was done by installing McPhail traps provided with an attractive solution (BioAnastrepha®), hung ¾ of the guava canopy height, starting from the ground level. After obtaining the data, the following indexes were calculated: pupal viability (PV), parasitism (P) and fruits infestation (I). A correlation analysis was performed between the number of flies collected, and the meteorological variables of the region. A total of 31.51 kg of guava was collected, in which 18.31 kg were collected in the guava trees and 13.2 kg were found on the ground. 1,699 pupae were obtained, and from these, 442 flies emerged with three genera, Anastrepha species and one genus, Ceratitis (Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann). Only two parasitoids were obtained from the fruits from the ground, which both belong to Doryctobracon areolatus (Szepligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). The correlation analysis showed a strong correlation between the flies and fluctuating temperatures. Population peak of fruit flies occurred in February 2014. Key words: Psidium guajava, Tephritidae, bioecology, parasitoids.

Electronic traps for detection and population monitoring of adult fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)

AbstractDuring the last decades, the economic importance of tephritid fruit flies (FF) has increased worldwide because of recurrent invasions and expansions into new areas, and reduced control capabilities of current control systems. Efficient monitoring systems, thus, are required to provide fast information to act promptly. With this aim in mind, we developed two electronic trap (e‐trap) versions for adult FF: one with specific volatiles for male and female adult Ceratitis capitata, and the second, based on the attraction of adult FF to yellow colour, targeting Dacus ciliatus, Rhagoletis cerasi and Bactrocera oleae. In the case of B. oleae, the female pheromone and ammonium bicarbonate were added as synergists. In the two versions, attracted FF were retained in the trap on glued surfaces. Real‐time images of the surfaces were automatically taken and transmitted to a server. We tested the two e‐trap versions in insect‐proof cages, where flies were released and recaptured, and in commercial orchards throughout the Mediterranean: C. capitata in peach orchards in Italy; R. cerasi in cherry orchards in Greece; B. oleae in olive orchards in Spain and in Greece; and D. ciliatus in melons in plastic tunnels in Israel. The e‐trap showed excellent abilities to transmit real‐time images of trapped FF and a high specificity for trapping different FF species. The ability of the entomologist to correctly classify FF from images in the office was >88%. In addition, average number of flies/trap in e‐trap grids did not differ from numbers reported on grids of conventional traps that were operating simultaneously. The e‐traps developed and tested in this study provide the basis for the real‐time monitoring of FF were no olfactory attractants are available, and for the surveillance of alien FF incursions where generic, but not specific, olfactory attractants exists.

Attraction ofBactrocera cucurbitaeandBactrocera dorsalis(Diptera: Tephritidae) to Beer Waste and Other Protein Sources Laced with Ammonium Acetate

Adult tephritid fruit fly females require protein sources for adequate egg production, and ammonia and its derivatives serve as volatile cues to locate protein-rich food. The attractiveness of beer waste and the commercially available baits Nu-Lure® Insect Bait, Buminal®, and Bugs for Bugs® Fruit Fly Bait with and without ammonium acetate or ammonium carbonate to males and females of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and B. cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) was quantified in semi-field cage studies in Hawaii. Evaluations also compared the relative attractiveness of the baits to that of the standard bait GF-120® NF Naturalyte® Fruit Fly Bait. Our findings indicate that ammonium carbonate did not exert any effect on the response of B. cucurbitae or B. dorsalis to the protein baits evaluated and that the addition of ammonium acetate to beer waste and to the commercially available bait Bugs for Bugs® can improve bait attractiveness in particular to females of B. cucurbitae. Beer waste laced with ammonium acetate performed as well as the standard fruit fly bait GF-120®. There were variations in the level and type of response between B. cucurbitae and B. dorsalis, and such variability was dependent upon the type of bait being evaluated. For example, there were several instances where baits lacking ammonium acetate (e.g., beer waste and Nu-Lure® for B. cucurbitae; Buminal® for B. dorsalis) were as attractive as GF-120®. Results are discussed in light of potential applications associated with the use of beer waste as a low-cost, readily available material for fruit fly monitoring and suppression.

English

Hydrolyzed proteins are used as attractive agents in McPhail traps for monitoring of fruit flies (Tephritidae). There has been no defined role for monitoring of insects belonging to the Lonchaeidae family. Currently, there is a great concern in using most efficient and low-cost attractive materials. Thus, this study aimed at assessing the attractiveness of solid and liquid baits in capturing of frugivorous flies (Tephritidae and Lonchaeidae). Therefore, we carried out four trials in coffee plantations (Coffea arabica L.) during two different periods (May/ 2013 and July/ 2014). A randomized block design with four treatments and five replications was used in the first period, and ten treatments with four replications the following year. Two distinct experiments were carried out, one using baits in solid and another in liquid form, which consisted of applying 10 g for trap (solid) or 200 mL solution of the same compounds diluted in water (5%: p/ v). In 2013, we tested yeast extract with and without sugar, brewer's yeast, citrus pulp and hydrolyzed protein as control. In 2014, five additional baits were tested: acai, plum and grape flours, passion fruit fiber and poultry feces. In all experiments, a 5% hydrolyzed protein solution was used as control. Eight days after being set, traps were assessed. Even the yeast extract, with and without sugar, and the brewer's yeast, in solid form, were as attractive as control treatment in capturing flies. The poultry feces and yeast extract, with and without sugar in solution form, can be used to replace hydrolyzed protein in capturing tephritids. Lonchaeids are barely attracted by the hydrolyzed protein. Additionally, yeast extract and poultry feces can be used for monitoring and biodiversity studies of the Lonchaeidae fauna. Key words: Fruit growing, monitoring, trap, protein.

Evaluation of Food Lures for Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) Captured in a Citrus Orchard of the Serra Gaúcha

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 5 food lures for fruit fly monitoring in citrus orchards in the municipality of Pinto Bandeira, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, from Nov 2012 to Oct 2013. Food lures included: 1) CeraTrap™ (undiluted), 2) Torula™ (6 tablets of 3 g/L), 3) BioAnastrepha (5%), 4) 10% corn syrup, and 5) 25% red grape juice (control). The lures were replaced weekly with the exception of CeraTrap™, which was replaced every 45 d. McPhail traps were baited with 300 mL of each food lure, and the traps were placed 10 m apart at the edge of the orchard. Traps were rotated weekly to prevent any bias in treatment location. Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) was the species with the greatest mean number of fruit fly adults per trap per day (FTD), with 7.8, 2.8, 2.6, 1.7, and 0.9 FTD for the food lures CeraTrap™, Torula™, BioAnastrepha, corn syrup, and grape juice, respectively. CeraTrap™ lured A. fraterculus in amounts above the economic threshold (0.5 FTD) over 73% of the study period, whereas Torula™, BioAnastrepha, corn syrup, and grape juice lured A. fraterculus in amounts above the control level for 28, 20, 11, and 6% of the study period, respectively. Thus, the hydrolyzed protein CeraTrap™ showed the highest efficacy for fruit fly monitoring in the citrus orchard.

Seasonal Abundance of Mango Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Ecological Implications for Their Management in Mango and Cashew Orchards in Benin (Centre & North).

We report the results of a large-scale (six orchards) and long-term (5-yr) study on seasonal population fluctuations of fruit flies (Diptera Tephritidae) in mango (2005-2009) and cashew (2007-2009) orchards in the Borgou Department, Benin.During the five consecutive years of mango fruit fly monitoring, 25 tephritid species were captured including three species of Bactrocera, 11 of Ceratitis, and 11 of Dacus, which is represented by 2,138,150 specimens in mango orchards. We observed significant differences in Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) counts between "high" and "low" mango production years from 2005 to 2008 but not in Ceratitis cosyra (Walker) counts. The native species, C. cosyra, the most abundant species during the dry season, peaked beginning of May, while the exotic species, B. dorsalis, the most abundant species during the rainy season, peaked in June. Preliminary results underlined the role of nine species of wild hosts and seven species of cultivated ones around mango orchards that played an important role in maintaining B. dorsalis in this Sudan zone all year round. The presence of C. cosyra stretched over 9 mo.During the first 14 wk of tephritid monitoring on cashew orchards situated near mango orchards, most flies (62%) were captured in traps positioned in cashew orchards, showing the strong interest of an early fly control on cashew before the mango season. According to these results, in the Sudan zone, effective and compatible control methods as proposed by the IPM package validated by the West African Fruit Fly Initiative project against mango fruit flies are proposed for a large regional tephritid control program in same zones of West Africa.

Field Evaluation of Melolure, a Formate Analogue of Cuelure, and Reassessment of Fruit Fly Species Trapped in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

In Australia, tephritids are usually attracted to either cuelure or methyl eugenol. Methyl eugenol is a very effective lure, but cuelure is less effective likely due to low volatility. A new formate analogue of cuelure, melolure, has increased volatility, resulting in improved efficacy with the melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett. We tested the efficacy of melolure with fruit fly species in Sydney as part of the National Exotic Fruit Fly Monitoring programme. This monitoring programme has 71 trap sites across Sydney, with each trap site comprising separate Lynfield traps containing either cuelure, methyl eugenol, or capilure lure. In 2008, an additional Lynfield trap with melolure plugs was added to seven sites. In 2009 and 2010, an additional Lynfield trap with melolure wicks was added to 11 trap sites and traps were monitored fortnightly for 2 yr. Capture rates for melolure traps were similar to cuelure traps for Dacus absonifacies (May) and Dacus aequalis (Coquillet), but melolure traps consistently caught fewer Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) than cuelure traps. However, trap sites with both a cuelure and melolure traps had increased capture rates for D. absonifacies and D. aequalis, and a marginally significant increase for B. tryoni. Melolure plugs were less effective than melolure wicks, but this effect may be related to lure concentration. The broader Bactrocera group species were attracted more to cuelure than melolure while the Dacus group species were attracted more to melolure than cuelure. There is no benefit in switching from cuelure to melolure to monitor B. tryoni, the most important fruit fly pest in Australia.

New distribution and lure records of Dacinae (Diptera: Tephritidae) from Queensland, Australia, and description of a new species of Dacus Fabricius

AbstractNew distribution records for 42 species of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae) in Queensland are presented, resulting from exotic fruit fly monitoring from 1996 to 2011. Summaries of previously known Australian distributions are provided. Fruit flies were collected at cue lure and methyl eugenol traps and reared from host fruit. No new distributions south of Townsville were recorded for the economic species Bactrocera frauenfeldi (Schiner, 1868), Bactrocera kraussi (Hardy, 1951) and Bactrocera musae (Tryon, 1927). Minor range extensions are noted for Bactrocera neohumeralis (Hardy, 1951) and Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt, 1897). Bactrocera jarvisi (Tryon, 1927) is recorded being weakly attracted to cue lure in Queensland and the first lure record (one specimen from cue lure) is provided for Dacus (Mellesis) petioliforma (May, 1956). Taxonomic issues with Bactrocera melanothoracica Drew (1989) and Bactrocera unirufa Drew (1989) are discussed. Dacus (Neodacus) coenensis sp. n. is described and illustrated from Cape York Peninsula.