Newly imported larval parasitoids pose minimal competitive risk to extant egg–larval parasitoid of tephritid fruit flies in Hawaii

2002 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 423-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
X.G. Wang ◽  
R.H. Messing

AbstractCompetitive displacement of fruit fly parasitoids has been a serious issue in the history of fruit fly biological control in Hawaii. This concern regarding competitive risk of new parasitoids has led to an overall tightening of regulations against the use of classical biological control to manage fruit flies. Fopius arisanus (Sonan), an egg–larval parasitoid, is the most effective natural enemy of tephritid fruit flies in Hawaii. This study evaluated the competitive risk of two recently introduced larval parasitoids, Diachasmimorpha kraussii Fullaway and Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti), to F. arisanus attacking the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). Fopius arisanus won almost all intrinsic competitions against both larval parasitoids through physiological suppression of egg development. 83.3% of D. kraussii eggs and 80.2% of P. concolor eggs were killed within three days in the presence of F. arisanus larvae within the bodies of multi-parasitized hosts. The mechanism that F. arisanus employs to eliminate both larval parasitoids is similar to that it uses against three other early established larval fruit fly parasitoids: F. vandenboschi (Fullaway), D. longicaudata (Ashmead) and D. tryoni (Cameron). It suggests that introduction of these larval parasitoids poses minimal competitive risk to F. arisanus in Hawaii.

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 662
Author(s):  
Flávio R. M. Garcia ◽  
Sérgio M. Ovruski ◽  
Lorena Suárez ◽  
Jorge Cancino ◽  
Oscar E. Liburd

Biological control has been the most commonly researched control tactic within fruit fly management programs. For the first time, a review is carried out covering parasitoids and predators of fruit flies (Tephritidae) from the Americas and Hawaii, presenting the main biological control programs in this region. In this work, 31 species of fruit flies of economic importance are considered in the genera Anastrepha (11), Rhagoletis (14), Bactrocera (4), Ceratitis (1), and Zeugodacus (1). In this study, a total of 79 parasitoid species of fruit flies of economic importance are listed and, from these, 50 are native and 29 are introduced. A total of 56 species of fruit fly predators occur in the Americas and Hawaii.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11530
Author(s):  
Maria do Socorro Miranda de Sousa ◽  
Ezequiel de Deus ◽  
Adilson Lopes Lima ◽  
Cristiane Ramos de Jesus ◽  
Salustiano Vilar da Costa Neto ◽  
...  

Fruit flies are economically important pests that infest a wide variety of host trees. The environmental damage caused by traditional pesticide-based control methods has prompted scientists to seek less damaging alternatives such as biological control by native species. Parasitoids, especially Braconidae species, have excellent potential as biological control agents for fruit flies, being both generalists and well distributed geographically. Native fruit trees that support medium or high levels of these parasitoids could therefore play an important role in biological control strategies. A good potential example is Spondias mombin L. in the Brazilian Amazon, which hosts several species of fruit flies and associated parasitoids. Here, we provide a unique synthesis of over nearly two decades of data from the east Amazon, clearly demonstrating the potential of S. mombin to act as a source and reservoir of fruit fly parasitoids. This important ecosystem service (biological control) provided by the parasitoids and supported by S. mombin could be further enhanced through conservation of this plant species in its natural environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 132 ◽  
pp. 144-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Appel Müller ◽  
Naymã Pinto Dias ◽  
Marco Silva Gottschalk ◽  
Flávio Roberto Mello Garcia ◽  
Dori Edson Nava

Author(s):  
Maria do Socorro Miranda De Sousa ◽  
Jhulie Emille Veloso Dos Santos ◽  
Dori Edson Nava ◽  
Roberto Antonio Zucchi ◽  
Ricardo Adaime

 Fruit-bearing plants in the Brazilian Amazon are mainly attacked by species of Anastrepha, of which about half are endemic to the region. However, tritrophic relations (fly/plant/parasitoid) have only been established for some 25% of the species of Anastrepha in the region. At present, 11 species of hymenopterous parasitoids (Braconidae and Figitidae) have been recorded in the Brazilian Amazon. Parasitoids in general, especially those of the family Braconidae, stand out as the most effective natural enemies of fruit flies of the genus Anastrepha. Doryctobracon areolatus is the most abundant parasitoid and it is associated with the largest number of Anastrepha species in the region. Some fruiting species, for example Bellucia grossularioides (L.) Triana and Geissospermum argenteum Woodson, have been studied aiming at biological control of fruit flies, because they act as reservoirs or multipliers of fruit fly parasitoids. Although research has advanced significantly in the past 20 years, there is a shortage of studies in nearly all states in the region, due to the huge area of the Brazilian Amazon.


Author(s):  
Peter A Follett ◽  
Fay E M Haynes ◽  
Bernard C Dominiak

Abstract Tephritid fruit flies are major economic pests for fruit production and are an impediment to international trade. Different host fruits are known to vary in their suitability for fruit flies to complete their life cycle. Currently, international regulatory standards that define the likely legal host status for tephritid fruit flies categorize fruits as a natural host, a conditional host, or a nonhost. For those fruits that are natural or conditional hosts, infestation rate can vary as a spectrum ranging from highly attractive fruits supporting large numbers of fruit flies to very poor hosts supporting low numbers. Here, we propose a Host Suitability Index (HSI), which divides the host status of natural and conditional hosts into five categories based on the log infestation rate (number of flies per kilogram of fruit) ranging from very poor (<0.1), poor (0.1–1.0), moderately good (1.0–10.0), good (10–100), and very good (>100). Infestation rates may be determined by field sampling or cage infestation studies. We illustrate the concept of this index using 21 papers that examine the host status of fruits in five species of polyphagous fruit flies in the Pacific region: Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel), Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae). This general-purpose index may be useful in developing systems approaches that rely on poor host status, for determining surveillance and detection protocols for potential incursions, and to guide the appropriate regulatory response during fruit fly outbreaks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Ormsby

AbstractTephritid fruit flies (Diptera; Tephritidae) represent a group of insects that include some of the most economically important pests in horticulture. Because of their economic importance, the financial impacts of an incursion of tephritid fruit flies into a new area can often result in restrictions to trade. The economic impacts of any trade restrictions imposed by importing countries are confounded by the current absence of consistent and accepted criteria for the strength and extent of any trade restrictions and declaring the end of an incursion. The author has developed models that can be used to establish criteria for the management of tephritid fruit fly outbreaks as outlined in international standards. A model enables criteria on when to recognise an incursion has occurred and establish export restrictions. Another model determines what area or radius an export restriction zone (ERZ) should cover. And a third model establishes criteria for the conditions required to enable an ERZ to be rescinded and the area’s pest free status reinstated. The models rely primarily on fruit fly biology and the effectiveness of surveillance trapping systems. The adoption of these proposed criteria internationally for establishing a control system and responding to fruit fly outbreaks would provide considerable economic benefits to international trade. Additionally, these criteria would enable countries to make more informed cost–benefit decisions on the level of investment in fruit fly control systems that better reflects the economic risks fruit flies represent to their economy.


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