A global checklist of the 932 fruit fly species in the tribe Dacini (Diptera, Tephritidae)

Abstract

The correct application of the scientific names of species is neither easy nor trivial. Mistakes can lead to the wrong interpretation of research results or, when pest species are involved, inappropriate regulations and limits on trade, and possibly quarantine failures that permit the invasion of new pest species. Names are particularly challenging to manage when groups of organisms encompass a large number of species, when different workers employ different philosophical views, or when species are in a state of taxonomic flux. The fruit fly tribe Dacini is a species-rich taxon within Tephritidae and contains around a fifth of all known species in the family. About 10% of the 932 currently recognized species are pests of commercial fruits and vegetables, precipitating quarantines and trade embargos. Authoritative species lists consist largely of scattered regional treatments and outdated online resources. The checklist presented here is the first global overview of valid species names for the Dacini in almost two decades, and includes new lure records. By publishing this list both in paper and digitally, we aim to provide a resource for those studying fruit flies as well as researchers studying components of their impact on agriculture. The list is largely a consolidation of previous works, but following the results from recent phylogenetic work, we transfer one subgenus and eight species to different genera: members of the Bactrocera subgenus Javadacus Hardy, considered to belong to the Zeugodacus group of subgenera, are transferred to genus Zeugodacus; Bactrocera pseudocucurbitae White, 1999, stat. rev., is transferred back to Bactrocera from Zeugodacus; Zeugodacus arisanicus Shiraki, 1933, stat. rev., is transferred back to Zeugodacus from Bactrocera; and Z. brevipunctatus (David & Hancock, 2017), comb. n.; Z. javanensis (Perkins, 1938), comb. n.; Z. montanus (Hardy, 1983), comb. n.; Z. papuaensis (Malloch, 1939), comb. n.; Z. scutellarius (Bezzi, 1916), comb. n.; Z. semisurstyli (Drew & Romig, 2013), comb. n.; and Z. trilineatus (Hardy, 1955), comb. n. are transferred from Bactrocera to Zeugodacus.

Descriptions of four new species of Bactrocera and new country records highlight the high biodiversity of fruit flies in Vietnam (Diptera, Tephritidae, Dacinae)

“…Another 11 species that were collected are either new to science, four of which are described below, or we were otherwise unable to link them to any described species. Our survey results increase the total number of described species in Vietnam from 78 to 93, 10 % of the globally known diversity of Dacini (Doorenweerd et al 2018). Potentially, an additional 52 species, known to be present in China, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, excluding southern Thailand, may be found in Vietnam (Drew and Romig 2013, Leblanc et al 2016; listed in Suppl.…”

“…It includes 932 described species, of which 83 are pests of fruit and fleshy vegetables, and new species are continuously being discovered (Vargas et al 2015, Doorenweerd et al 2018). Extensive surveys for Dacini fruit flies were carried out in Asia in recent decades (Linder and McLeod 2008).…”

Description of a new species of Dacus from Sri Lanka, and new country distribution records (Diptera, Tephritidae, Dacinae)

“…Dacusancoralis was collected in a trap with zingerone lure. A number of other species of Dacus were found to be drawn to zingerone in recent years (Doorenweerd et al 2018), but because there is only one specimen known we cannot yet confirm it as a zingerone-attracted species. This species is assigned to subgenus Mellesis, as defined by Drew and Romig (2013) based on the petiolate abdomen with tergum I longer than wide and sternum V weakly concave apically, the presence of anterior supraalar setae and absence of prescutellar setae, the combined length of antennal segment greater than vertical length of face, and the absence of anal streak on wing.…”

“…We took measurements using an ocular grid mounted on an Olympus SZ30 dissecting microscope. Morphological terms used in the description generally follow White (1999) and generic assignment for each species follows the checklist published by Doorenweerd et al (2018). We extracted DNA and sequenced the mitochondrial COI-3P and COI-5P region from selected specimens to help confirm species identity.…”

“…Dacine fruit flies are a large group of Old World tropical Diptera, with 932 described species, of which 83 are pests of fruit and fleshy vegetables (Vargas et al 2015, Doorenweerd et al 2018). Previous intensive surveys were carried out in Sri Lanka between 1993 and 1996 and resulted in a greatly improved understanding of the island’s diversity of fruit flies, including the description of eleven new species (Tsuruta et al 1997, 2005, Tsuruta and White 2001).…”