Native Fruit Fly Research Articles

Environmental factors driving infestations of a keystone winter fruit by an invasive and a native fruit fly

Environmental factors driving infestations of a keystone winter fruit by an invasive and a native fruit fly

HCN-induced embryo arrest: passion fruit as an ecological trap for fruit flies.

Fruit flies are important economic pests of fruits, vegetables, and nuts all over the world. In this study, a permanent ecological trap, which was created by the ovicidal effect of phytogenic hydrogen cyanide (HCN) liberated from passion fruits due to oviposition by fruit flies and can be used in the pest management, were determined. Observation of fruit fly eggs in Passiflora within the passion fruit cultivation region in southern China, from Aug 2019 to Oct 2020 showed that the exotic Passiflora attracted the native fruit flies to oviposit, but the eggs could not hatch. Using classical staging to categorize embryonic development and fumigation assays, we show that oviposition by fruit fly on passion fruits, release HCN from the cyanogenic mesocarp. Exposure of the eggs to HCN causes arrest of embryonic development and finally the death of eggs. Our results reveal that the life cycle of fruit fly in Passiflora is interrupted at the egg stage. Consequently, we predict that this ecological trap may be permanent. Extensive cultivation of the Passiflora vine as a dead-end trap crop may be an effective avenue to reduce populations of fruit fly pests. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Opiine parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and biological control of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Australia: Past, present and future

AbstractOpiine braconids are parasitoids of the immature stages of frugivorous tephritids. The female wasp lays her eggs into the eggs or larvae of the fruit fly host, where the immature wasp develops before emerging as a next‐generation adult from the now dead host pupal case. In support of a new generation of Australian fruit fly parasitoid research, this paper comprehensively reviews what is known about the Australian fruit fly infesting opiines. Based on the most recent taxonomic revision 11 fruit fly infesting opiine species are documented to occur in Australia, but we consider as doubtful the record forDiachasmimorpha longicaudataand consider the record forFopius illusoriusto be tentative without further collections. We identify that the systematics and taxonomy of the Australian native fruit fly infesting opiines are in urgent need of further work. The history of fruit fly biological control in Australia is comprehensively reviewed, including the export of native Australian opiines for fruit fly control elsewhere in the world. Australia was actively involved in three major classical biological control programmes against fruit flies from the turn of the 1900s until the mid‐1960s. Despite the introduction of 11 opiine species, plus numerous other natural enemies, onlyFopius arisanusestablished in eastern Australia, where in South‐east Queensland it can now cause between 30 and 40% mean parasitism. In addition to the exoticF. arisanus, the native speciesDiachasmimorpha kraussiiandDiachasmimorpha tryonialso cause fruit fly parasitism in agriculturally important crops: both species have also been liberated widely outside of Australia for fruit fly control. Other Australian opiines have not been reared from flies infesting commercial crops and appear biologically restricted to the fruits and environs of Australian east‐coast rainforests. The biology literature forD. tryoniandD. kraussiiis comprehensively reviewed, while forF. arisanus, already reviewed elsewhere, key literature only is covered. Forward looking, we consider the potential for inoculative or inundative releases of opiines in areas where they do not currently occur to be good, while conservation biological control may help to increase the impacts of parasitoids in areas where they are already established.

Seasonal Population Abundance of Bactrocera Dorsalis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Selected Districts of Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

The fruitfly Bactrocera dorsalis is an economically important pest that requires management for the sustainability of agriculture in South Africa. This pest has spread from the country's Northern parts within a decade, where it has completely established and spread to other neighbouring provinces. The pest spreads at various rates due to different factors given biotic and abiotic factors. Understanding factors that influence pest prevalence will assist with practical management strategies. Temperature is one of the factors that assist the invasive potential of B. dorsalis. KwaZulu Natal province is among the hotspot provinces in the country besides Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Trap catches in Northern KwaZulu Natal, uMkhanyakude and King Cetshwayo districts show that the seasonal populations of B. dorsalis are continuously present all year round, even with the application of management options to reduce pest populations. Host availability plays a significant role in the invasion and total outcompeting of other native fruitflies e.g. Ceratitis punctata.

Competition between Diachasmimorpha kraussii and Fopius arisanus in Bactrocera tryoni: does native parasitoid-host association matter?

In Australia Fopius arisanus (Sonan) is an established, but exotic fruit fly egg-larval-pupal parasitoid which co-occurs with Diachasmimorpha kraussii (Fullaway), a native larval-pupal fruit fly parasitoid: both attack the native fruit fly Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt). In interactions involving evolutionary novel host-parasitoid associations, F. arisanus consistently out-competes other parasitoid species, including D. kraussii. However, in fruit fly-parasitoid systems where there is co-evolutionary history between parasitoids and their hosts, competitive hierarchies can vary. In this study we investigated the outcome of competition between F. arisanus and D. kraussii within B. tryoni, to test whether the close evolutionary relationship between D. kraussii and B. tryoni might circumvent the competitive advantage of F. arisanus. Consistent with previous research, and despite the evolutionary relationship, dissection of multiparasitized B. tryoni larvae showed that D. kraussii was invariably suppressed by F. arisanus. A total of 47% and 74% of the eggs of D. kraussii in presence of F. arisanus were killed within a span of 24 h and 48–72 h, respectively. However, parasitoid emergence from fruit fly hosts exposed sequentially to F. arsianus and D. kraussii suggest that D. kraussii females are able to discriminate hosts already parasitized by F. arisanus. Results show that the co-evolutionary relationship between B. tryoni and D. kraussii does not help overcome the early-acting advantage of the egg parasitoid F. arisanus. Though F. arisanus may not have completely displaced D. kraussii in its native habitat, simultaneous inundative releases of these two parasitoid species (currently under consideration) might not help increase B. tryoni parasitism levels.

Non-target effects of the exotic generalist parasitoid wasp Fopius arisanus (Sonan) estimated via competition assays against Doryctobracon areolatus (Szepligeti) on both native and exotic fruit fly hosts

Biological control by the generalist egg parasitoid Fopius arisanus (Sonan) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) has been proposed against Bactrocera carambolae (Drew & Hancock) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in northern Brazil. This study assessed possible effects of F. arisanus on native parasitoids by focusing on competition with the native wasp Doryctobracon areolatus (Szepligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on two hosts, Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann), a native tephritid, and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), an introduced pest tephritid. Laboratory and greenhouse cage studies showed that F. arisanus parasitized < 3% of the native host in competition or alone compared to 41–65% for C. capitata, while D. areolatus parasitized 12–42% of the native host and < 4% on C. capitata. The host origin of F. arisanus did not affect subsequent parasitism rates on native or exotic hosts. However, when reared on C. capitata, F. arisanus had higher parasitism on C. capitata than on A. fraterculus. Lab and greenhouse competition studies showed that F. arisanus had no measurable detrimental effect on the native parasitoid in either the native or introduced host, suggesting that F. arisanus interfered minimally with the native parasitoid. Based on these results and other relevant studies showing non-preference of F. arisanus for the native fruit fly species, as well as the non-preference of native parasitoids for exotic fruit flies, we infer that the release of F. arisanus against exotic tephritids such as C. capitata and B. carambolae in Brazil would not cause major disruption of the native populations of A. fraterculus parasitoids.

Competitive interactions and partial displacement of Anastrepha obliqua by Ceratitis capitata in the occupation of host mangoes (Mangifera indica)

AbstractWe examined the competitive interactions between a native fruit fly species (Anastrepha obliqua Macquart) and the invasive medfly (Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann) when these co‐occur on a shared mango fruit host (Mangifera indica L.). Using mango fruits of distinct levels of ripeness, we investigated both competition among larvae and among adult females for oviposition. We quantified competition by the numbers of eggs laid and the intensity of agonistic interactions between adult females. Interactions between immature fruit flies led to reduced size and number of emerged adults of both species. These impacts were felt more acutely in the native species. Interspecific competition between females led to fewer eggs laid on semi‐ripe fruit by both species, which may be the result of niche overlap associated with oviposition. Intraspecific interactions between A. obliqua individuals led to intense agonistic behaviour, with a concurrent decrease in number of landings on these host fruits. These results suggest that the native species undergoes a partial niche displacement when facing the invasive species. A portion of the fundamental niche of A. obliqua remained unoccupied by the invading C. capitata, which may allow their coexistence under natural conditions.

INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION BETWEEN NATIVE AND EXOTIC FRUIT FLY PARASITOIDSIN MIXED ORCHARDS IN MACEIO, ALAGOAS, BRAZIL

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to assess the effects of the release and establishment of the exotic parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead, 1905) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and its interspecific competitive relationship with native fruit fly parasitoids in organic and conventional orchards in Maceio, State of Alagoas, Brazil. The exotic parasitoids were reared in the Radio-Entomology Laboratory of the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, and released (112,350 individuals between five and eight days old) in orchards from June 8 to July12, 2013.Fruit samples were collected randomly every week during one year to assess the D. longicaudata recaptured from plants and fallen fruits on the ground, which were taken to the Entomology Laboratory of the CECA-UFAL, classified and individually placed in plastic containers, containing a layer of 1 cm of sand for pupation of the host larvae. The pupae, obtained after 10 days, were placed in Petri dishes with a layer of sand until the emergence of adults, which were then kept in plastic microtubes, containing ethanol 70%. The release of exotic parasitoids did not displace native species. The same species were found before and after the release in both cultures: Doryctobracon areolatus, Asobara anastrephae, Utetes anastrephae and Opius bellus (Braconidae), Aganaspis pelleranoi (Figitidae) and individuals of the Pteromalidae family. One year after the last release, 44 individuals of the exotic parasitoid were found, showing its establishment in the studied areas.

Species composition and community structure of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) across major mango-growing regions in Uganda

The species diversity of tephritid fruit flies in major mango-growing regions in Uganda was monitored over a 2-year period (2010–2012) using fruit bait and lure traps. A total of 368,332 specimens belonging to 10 species in four genera (Bactrocera,Ceratitis,TrirhithrumandDacus) were collected. Of these, 98.9% belonged toBactrocera invadens, while the second and third most common species wereDacus bivittatus(0.4%) andCeratitis anonae(0.3%), respectively. Significant differences in the evenness and diversity of fruit fly species were noted across the regions. Fruit fly community structure was significantly different across the three regions. The Lake Victoria Crescent and Mbale Farmlands harboured significantly moreD. ciliatus,T. coffeae,D. bivittatusandB. cucurbitaein contrast to the Northern Moist Farmlands and the Western Medium High Farmlands.Ceratitis rosacontributed the highest difference in regional structure, followed byC. fasciventrisandC. cosyra. Rank abundance curves depicted a geometric series distribution of the species composition in the three regions, confirming a scenario of competitive displacement of native fruit fly species byB. invadens. A comprehensive and sustainable response strategy toB. invadensand other fruit flies needs to be urgently devised to protect the horticulture industry in Uganda.

Preliminary surveys after release of the fruit fly parasitoidFopius arisanusSonan (Hymenoptera Braconidae) in mango production systems in Casamance (Senegal)

Introduction . Since its arrival in Senegal in 2004, Bactrocera invadens (Diptera Tephritidae) synonymized with Bactrocera dorsalis has caused much economic damage in mango crops. Effective and efficient control activities against B. invadens were necessary in order to continue mango production, and biological control measures were envisaged. In such conditions, the government of Senegal allowed the Asian parasitoid Fopius arisanus to be released in some orchards around Ziguinchor. Materials and methods . The dynamics of fruit fly species was studied with lure traps (methyl eugenol and terpinyl acetate with Dichlorvos). Mango fruit were sampled from the control orchard and orchards with released F. arisanus, to compare the differences in tephritid infestation. Results and discussion . The levels of B. invadens populations were 1.6−2.5 times higher in the control than in orchards where F. arisanus was released. The fruit were also 5–6 times more infested in the control orchard than in those that received F. arisanus . Between May and July 2012 the majority of the pupae (92%) collected from fruit samples developed into adult flies, while only 39% of the pupae transformed to adults between October and December after effective action of the parasitoids. In both orchard treatments, the level of native fruit fly populations was about the same. Wild fruit were infested mostly by Ceratitis cosyra, from which were reared native parasitoids such as Fopius caudatus, F. silvestrii, F. desideratus, Diachasmimorpha fullawayi, D. carinata, Psyttalia cosyrae, and P. concolor. In contrast with Mangifera indica, Citrus spp., Anacardium occidentale, Psidium guayava, Saba senegalensis, and Landolphia heudelotii were mainly infested by B. invadens which showed parasitism by F. arisanus . Pteromalidae and Eulophidae were also found from the pest fly pupae. Killer flies (Diptera: Muscidae) such as Coenosia attenuata Stein, C. atra Meigen and C. tigrina Fabricius emerged from the fruit samples. Conclusion . Sanitation against fruit flies in Casamance should take into account the conservation of natural enemies such as parasitoids and predators for an effective biological control of tephritids.

Biology, ecology, behavior, host status and management of invasive and native fruit flies of Europe, Africa and the Middle East

Accelerated by global warming, climate change and human mobility, Biological Invasions of fruit flies (Tephritidae) have become a serious issue for fruit and vegetable production, as well as for international trading of agricultural commodities. Fruit flies threaten the economies of many countries all over the globe. The frequency of recent invasion events, in Africa, Middle East and Europe, highlights the weaknesses of existing systems in prevention, detection, eradication and containment efforts. The rapid dispersion of Bactrocera invadens (B. dorsalis group) throughout Africa and its recent establishment in South and West Africa, combined with detections in Northern African countries, as well as dispersion of the peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata in Egypt, Libya and possibly in the Middle East and Tunisia, sets all Mediterranean countries in alert. Apparently, there is an urgent need for cooperation among countries of Europe, Africa and the Middle East towards confronting invasive fruit flies. The 2nd International Meeting of TEAM (Tephritid Workers of Europe, Africa and the Middle East), that took place in Kolymbari, Greece from July 2 to 6 2012, provided the forum for knowledge exchange regarding fruit flies in the above area. The meeting included three plenary talks, three specific symposia and a round table on issues related to fruit fly invasion ranging from genetics and ecology to economics, policy and management. Additional oral and poster presentations covered several aspects of fruit fly biology, ecology, behaviour and management including major invasive fruit fly species. The current special issue of the Journal of Applied Entomology includes 9 papers that reflect part of the subjects discussed during the 2nd International TEAM meeting. Indeed, 3 of 9 papers address scientific questions regarding B. invadens (B. dorsalis group), including behavioural and physiological aspects of the oviposition decisions (Migani et al. 2013), demographic traits (Salum et al. 2013) and determination of non-host status for bananas (Cugala et al. 2013). There is an additional paper (Sookar et al. 2013) that presents an interesting approach regarding the management of B. cucurbitae (an invasive species in Africa and the Indian Ocean region). Three papers present interesting experimental results regarding the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, that seems to be a continuous issue for fruit fly workers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. These papers deal with the susceptibility of kiwi fruit to medfly infestation (Papachristos et al. 2013), the dispersal ability of released flies in an area wide project (Navarro-Llopis et al. 2012) and the extension of ‘self –life’ for transgenic medfly determined for sterile insect releases (Ogaugwu et al. 2013). One additional paper covers aspects of the olive fly, Bactrocera oleae genetic changes during domestication under mass rearing conditions (Zygouridi et al. 2013). Last but not least, the paper of Lux (2013) presents a stochastic model of the on-farm behaviour of fruit flies towards establishing precision intensive management strategies. There are many who we would like to thank for their contribution to publish the current special issue that includes papers presented in the 2nd International TEAM meeting. We wish to thank (i) the editorial group of the Journal of Applied Entomology, especially Stefan Vidal and Christine Denys who supported our efforts in a very efficient and professional manner, (ii) all the authors and reviewers, and (iii) the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Decentralized Regional Administration of Crete, Greece and the University of Thessaly for providing financial support.

Field performance of Lynfield and McPhail traps for monitoring male and female sterile Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) and wild Dacus newmani (Perkins)

McPhail traps, baited with protein food lure, are used worldwide for surveillance of many species of fruit flies. Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a native Australian fruit fly and normally monitored using Lynfield traps baited with cuelure. On some occasions, McPhail traps with wet food lures are deployed to detect female flies or to find the incursion epicentre. This paper reviews field results on the merits of Lynfield and McPhail traps for detection of male and female Qfly. Following release of equal numbers of sterile males and females, Lynfield traps baited with cuelure captured more Qfly males than protein autolysate or orange concentrate in McPhail traps. Significantly more male than female Qfly were captured in McPhail traps baited with protein autolysate or orange. There was no significant difference between orange concentrate lure and protein autolysate lure in attracting either males or females. Another Australian native fruit fly, Dacus newmani (Perkins), was attracted to cuelure in Lynfield traps but not to either lure in McPhail traps. The data obtained run counter to the reputation of McPhail traps baited with protein autolysate or orange concentrate as a specialist lure/trap combination for female Qfly.

Avaliação das liberações inoculativas do parasitóide exótico Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead)(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) em pomar diversificado em Conceição do Almeida, BA

A introdução de uma espécie exótica visando ao controle biológico levanta dúvidas em relação à sua eficiência e ao possível impacto que possa causar sobre espécies nativas. Avaliação prévia do complexo de parasitóides nativos no ecossistema é importante pois, uma vez realizada a liberação de um inimigo natural exótico, inicia-se um processo de colonização contínuo e sem retorno à condição original. Levantamentos de espécies de parasitóides nativos de moscas-das-frutas foram realizados na região do Recôncavo Baiano, município de Conceição do Almeida, BA, antes e após a liberação do parasitóide exótico Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead), com o objetivo de constatar a sua recaptura e estabelecimento. O levantamento prévio revelou as seguintes espécies nativas: Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), Utetes anastrephae (Viereck), Opius spp., Asobara anastrephae (Muesebeck) e Aganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes). Após a liberação de D. longicaudata as espécies nativas obtidas no levantamento prévio foram mantidas. Observou-se ainda que, apesar de haver competição interespecífica na exploração do mesmo sítio de oviposição, não houve perda da biodiversidade após a liberação do parasitóide exótico. No entanto, observou-se alteração na freqüência das espécies nativas quando comparada com o período que antecedeu a liberação de D. longicaudata. Com relação ao estabelecimento definitivo do parasitóide exótico, cerca de 17 meses após a suspensão das liberações, foram recuperados espécimes em frutos de carambola, goiaba e umbu-cajá. Durante a safra dos anos de 2004 e 2005 foram realizadas novas coletas de frutos com a finalidade de confirmar o estabelecimento efetivo de D. longicaudata, não sendo obtido nessas amostras espécimes do parasitóide exótico.

The Conflicting Values and Differing Priorities of Biological Control

The Conflicting Values and Differing Priorities of Biological Control

Impact of habitat modification on the distribution and abundance of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Southeast Queensland

AbstractLoss of rainforest because of agricultural and urban development may impact the abundance and diversity of species that are rainforest natives. Tropical fruit flies are one group of such organisms indigenous to rainforests. In southeast Queensland, a region subject to rapid urbanization, we assessed the impact of habitat disturbance on the distribution and abundance of native fruit flies. Data on four species (Bactrocera tryoni, Bactrocera neohumeralis, Bactrocera chorista, and Dacus aequalis) were gathered and analyzed over 6 months in three habitat types: suburbia, open sclerophyll forest, and rainforest. We also analyzed the data at a combined “dacine fruit fly” level incorporating all fruit fly species trapped over the period of study (as might occur in a biodiversity assessment): these included the four species already named and Bactrocera melas, Bactrocera bryoniae, Bactrocera newmani, and Dacus absonifacies. Analysis at the species level showed that the polyphagous pest species responded differently to the monophagous species. Bactrocera tryoni, which has more exotic than native hosts, was positively affected by transformation of natural habitat into suburbia whereas B. neohumeralis, which has nearly identical numbers of native and exotic hosts, was found equally across habitat types. Bactrocera chorista and Dacus aequalis, each monophagous on a species‐specific rainforest host plant, were most abundant in rainforest. The analysis based on the combined data suggests that replacing rainforest with suburbia has a neutral, or even positive, effect on the abundance of fruit flies as a whole. At the species level, however, it can be seen that this is an erroneous conclusion biased by the abundance of a single pest species. Our discussion raises the issue of analyses at supraspecific levels in biodiversity and impact assessment studies.

Hymenopteran Parasitoids on Fruit-infesting Tephritidae (Diptera) in Latin America and the Southern United States: Diversity, Distribution, Taxonomic Status and their use in Fruit Fly Biological Control

We first discuss the diversity of fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) parasitoids (Hymenoptera) of the Neotropics. Even though the emphasis is on Anastrepha parasitoids, we also review all the information available on parasitoids attacking flies in the genera Ceratitis, Rhagoletis, Rhagoletotrypeta, Toxotrypana and Zonosemata. We center our analysis in parasitoid guilds, parasitoid assemblage size and fly host profiles. We also discuss distribution patterns and the taxonomic status of all known Anastrepha parasitoids. We follow by providing a historical overview of biological control of pestiferous tephritids in Latin American and Florida (U.S.A.) and by analyzing the success or failure of classical and augmentative biological control programs implemented to date in these regions. We also discuss the lack of success of introductions of exotic fruit fly parasitoids in various Latin American countries. We finish by discussing the most pressing needs related to fruit fly biological control (classical, augmentative, and conservation modalities) in areas of the Neotropics where fruit fly populations severely restrict the development of commercial fruit growing. We also address the need for much more intensive research on the bioecology of native fruit fly parasitoids.

Population control of caged native fruitflies in the field by compound autosomes and temperature-sensitive mutants

A genetic technique for insect population control has been tested in cages under field conditions at two different locations in British Columbia. The method entails the population replacement of standard insects by those bearing compound autosomes using the principle of negative heterosis, thus permitting control or elimination through conditional mutations. Both native- and laboratory-derived compound strains of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster were tested in population cages against standards in the laboratory and at the two field sites. Those compound-bearing insects originating from the wild were the most successful, both in the laboratory and the field, in displacing standards from the cages down to a minimum initial ratio of 5 compounds to 1 standard. The importance is stressed of collecting strains from the wild, and performing the necessary genetic manipulations as rapidly as possible, prior to releasing the rearrangement in the field for control purposes.