scholarly journals Host specialization and species richness of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in a New Guinea rain forest

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vojtech Novotny ◽  
Anthony R. Clarke ◽  
Richard A. I. Drew ◽  
Solomon Balagawi ◽  
Barbara Clifford

Frugivorous dacine fruit flies were studied in a lowland tropical rain forest in Papua New Guinea to determine their host specificity, abundance, and the number of species attacking various plant species. Plant species hosted 0–3 fruit fly species at median (1–3 quartile) densities of 1 (0–17) fruit flies per 100 fruits. Fruit flies were mostly specialized to a single plant family (83% species) and within each family to a single genus (88% species), while most of the species (66%) were able to feed on >1 congeneric plant species. Only 30 from the 53 studied plant species were colonized by fruit flies. The plant–fruit fly food web, including these 30 plant species and the total of 29 fruit fly species feeding on them, was divided into 14 compartments, each including 1–8 plant species hosting mutually disjunct assemblages of fruit flies. This structure minimizes indirect interactions among plant species via shared herbivores. The local species pool was estimated at 152±32 (±SE) fruit fly species. Forty per cent of all taxonomically described species known from Papua New Guinea were reared or trapped in our study area. Such a high proportion indicates low beta-diversity of fruit flies. Steiner traps were highly efficient in sampling the lure-responsive fruit fly species as they re-collected 84% of all species trapped in the same area 5 y before. Fruit fly monitoring by these traps is a cheap, simple and efficient method for the study of spatial and temporal changes in rain-forest communities.

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 467-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca F. Dem ◽  
Alan J.A. Stewart ◽  
Amos Gibson ◽  
George D. Weiblen ◽  
Vojtech Novotny

Abstract:We documented one of the most species-rich assemblages of tropical rain-forest Auchenorrhyncha, comprising 402 phloem- and xylem-feeding species, by sampling adults from forest vegetation. Further, we reared 106 species from larvae sampled on 14 plant species. Both xylem- and phloem-feeding guilds exhibited wide host-plant ranges, as 74% of species fed on more than one plant family. In comparison, using data extracted from the temperate-zone literature, phloem-feeders exhibited lower host specificity in Papua New Guinea than in Germany, because in Papua New Guinea they were dominated by generalist Fulgoroidea while in Germany by specialist Membracoidea. The similarity of Auchenorrhyncha assemblages from different plant species was unrelated to the phylogenetic distance between their hosts. Host specificity, abundance and species composition of Auchenorrhyncha assemblages were unrelated to the optimum of their host plant species on succession gradient from secondary to primary forest. Higher host specificity did not lead to greater species richness in Auchenorrhyncha assemblages feeding on different plant species, but the number of species feeding on a particular plant species was a strong predictor of the Auchenorrhyncha abundance on that plant. These patterns suggest that Auchenorrhyncha assemblages on these plant species are not saturated with species and determined by division of limited resources among competitors, but instead are dependent on the number of colonizers from the regional species pool.


Human Ecology ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Dwyer ◽  
Monica Minnegal

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (03) ◽  
pp. 137-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.B. Badii ◽  
M.K. Billah ◽  
K. Afreh-Nuamah ◽  
D. Obeng-Ofori

An important aspect of fruit fly management is accurate information on the species and their host spectrum. Studies were conducted between October 2011 and September 2013 to determine the host range and species diversity of pest fruit flies in the northern savannah ecology of Ghana. Fruit samples from 80 potential host plants (wild and cultivated) were collected and incubated for fly emergence; 65 (81.5%) of the plant species were positive to fruit flies. From records in Africa, 11 plant species were reported to be new hosts to the African invader fly,Bactrocera invadens(Drew, Tsuruta and White, 2005). This study documented the first records ofDacus ciliatus(Loew) andTrirhithrum nigerrimum(Bezzi) in northern Ghana although both species have been previously reported in other parts of the country. Infestation byB. invadenswas higher in the cultivated fruits;Ceratitis cosyradominated in most wild fruits. Cucurbitaceae were mainly infested by three species ofDacusandBactroceracucurbitae, a specialized cucurbit feeder. Among the commercial fruit species, the highest infestations were observed in mango, tomato, sweet pepper and watermelon, whereas marula plum, soursop, tropical almond, sycamore fig, African peach, shea nut, persimmon, icacina and albarillo dominated the wild host flora. The widespread availability of host plants and the incidence of diverse fly species in the ecology call for particular attention to their impact on commercial fruits and the development of sustainable management strategies against these economically important pests in Ghana.


2022 ◽  
pp. 78-79
Author(s):  
Richard A. I. Drew ◽  
Meredith C. Romig

Abstract New geographical records are presented for 27 species of fruit flies (25 from genus Bactrocera and 2 from genus Dacus) from Papua New Guinea, Indonesian Papua, associated islands and Bougainville.


2022 ◽  
pp. 5-5
Author(s):  
Richard A. I. Drew ◽  
Meredith C. Romig

Abstract Large numbers of dacine specimens were collected throughout Papua New Guinea by trapping and host fruit sampling. Steinertype fruit fly traps, baited with cue lure, methyl eugenol or vanillylacetone (zingerone), were set in many localities over a wide range of ecosystems. In most cases, the traps were serviced on 2-week cycles for at least 1 year. Samples of rainforest and cultivated fruits were collected in some provinces. All specimens collected were preserved in a dry state and sent to R.A.I. Drew at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, for microscopic identification and curation. Data and photographs of Bactrocera longicornis were received from the Museum Nationale d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. The subgeneric classification used herein follows Drew and Hancock (2016) and Hancock and Drew (2006, 2015, 2016, 2017a,b,c,d,e, 2018a,b,c, 2019).


Author(s):  
Sam Finnie ◽  
Katerina Sam ◽  
Maurice Leponce ◽  
Yves Basset ◽  
Dick Drew ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arison Arihafa ◽  
Andrew L. Mack

The Auk ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Beehler

Abstract I studied fruit-feeding by nine species of birds of paradise in Papua New Guinea from July 1978 through November 1980 and gathered 1,187 records of foraging at 31 species of trees and vines from 14 botanical families. Fruit consumed was consistently small-to moderate-sized (mean: 1 cm diameter), but fruit of different species of plants showed high morphological diversity. I classify the fruit of 31 plant species into three morphological groups: capsule, fig, and drupe/berry. Each of the primarily frugivorous birds of paradise was recorded taking fruits from 10-21 plant species, including representatives from each class. The monogamous Trumpet Manucode and Crinkle-collared Manucode were fig specialists. More than 80% of their diet was figs. The polygamous species of paradisaeids were more "generalized" fruit-feeders and took significant amounts of fruit from all three morphological categories. The most important types of fruit among the polygamous birds were capsular species (49% of diet). While fig species were visited by birds from many families, most nonfig trees hosted a narrower range of foragers, and two species of trees, Chisocheton weinlandii (Meliaceae) and Gastonia spectabilis (Araliaceae), were visited only by birds of paradise. The frugivorous habits of birds of paradise are similar in several respects to those of the neotropical cotingids and manakins. It is argued that while frugivory is an important component of the evolution of polygamous arena display in these birds, it cannot, by itself, explain why some birds are polygamous and others monogamous. Frugivory in the tropics is a complex syndrome that offers a number of ecological alternatives that, in turn, promote different behavioral adaptations.


Genome ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. 792-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chonticha Kunprom ◽  
Pairot Pramual

The objectives of this study were to examine the genetic variation in fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Thailand and to test the efficiency of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcoding region for species-level identification. Twelve fruit fly species were collected from 24 host plant species of 13 families. The number of host plant species for each fruit fly species ranged between 1 and 11, with Bactrocera correcta found in the most diverse host plants. A total of 123 COI sequences were obtained from these fruit fly species. Sequences from the NCBI database were also included, for a total of 17 species analyzed. DNA barcoding identification analysis based on the best close match method revealed a good performance, with 94.4% of specimens correctly identified. However, many specimens (3.6%) had ambiguous identification, mostly due to intra- and interspecific overlap between members of the B. dorsalis complex. A phylogenetic tree based on the mitochondrial barcode sequences indicated that all species, except for the members of the B. dorsalis complex, were monophyletic with strong support. Our work supports recent calls for synonymization of these species. Divergent lineages were observed within B. correcta and B. tuberculata, and this suggested that these species need further taxonomic reexamination.


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