Native and Introduced Host Plants of Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Northwestern Argentina

Abstract

Wild or commercially grown, native and exotic fruit were collected in 30 localities in the Tucumán province (NW Argentina) from January 1990 to December 1995 to determine their status as hosts of Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) and/or Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), the only two fruit fly species of economic and quarantine importance in Argentina. A total of 84,094 fruit (3,466.1 kg) representing 33 species (7 native and 26 exotic) in 15 plant families were sampled. We determined the following 17 host plant associations: Annona cherimola Miller (Annonaceae), Citrus paradisi Macfadyn (Rutaceae), Diospyros kaki L. (Ebenaceae), Eugenia uniflora L., Psidium guajava L., Myrcianthes pungens (Berg) Legrand (Myrtaceae), Ficus carica L. (Moraceae), Juglans australis Grisebach (Juglandaceae), Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae), Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl., Prunus armeniaca L., P. domestica L., and P. persica (L.) Batsch (Rosaceae) were infested by both A. fraterculus and C. capitata. Citrus aurantium L., Citrus reticulata Blanco, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck (Rutaceae), and Passiflora caerulea L. (Passifloraceae) were only infested by Ceratitis capitata. Out of a total of 99,627 adults that emerged from pupae, 69,180 (approximately 69.5%) were Anastrepha fraterculus, 30,138 (approximately 30.2%) were C. capitata, and 309 (approximately 0.3%) were an unidentified Anastrepha species. Anastrepha fraterculus predominated in native plant species while C. capitata did so in introduced species. Infestation rates (number of larvae/kg of fruit) varied sharply from year to year and between host plant species (overall there was a significant negative correlation between fruit size and infestation level). We provide information on fruiting phenology of all the reported hosts and discuss our findings in light of their practical (e.g., management of A. fraterculus and C. capitata in citrus groves) implications.

Evaluation ofDiachasmimorpha longicaudata(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) as a mortality factor ofCeratitis capitata(Diptera: Tephritidae) infestingCitrusspecies under laboratory and field-cage conditions

“…In northwestern Argentinian Citrus-producing areas, C. capitata is usually found in large exotic host fruits, such as Citrus paradisi Macfadyen (grapefruit), Citrus aurantium L. (sour orange) and Citrus sinensis L. (Osbeck) (sweet orange) (Rutaceae) (Ovruski, Schliserman, and Aluja 2003b), all originating from Southeast Asia. These Citrus species are among the most common and widespread medfly host plants growing adjacent to commercial orchards in the Argentina's northwestern region.…”

Occurrence of diapause in neotropical parasitoids attacking Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) in a subtropical rainforest from Argentina

“…The original native vegetation in north-western Argentina is subtropical montane rainforest, locally known as 'Yungas' (Brown et al 2001), which is characterised by a high diversity of A. fraterculus host plants growing in the remaining stands of pristine forest and in disturbed native vegetation areas surrounding citrus crops and orchards (Ovruski et al 2003). This phytogeographical region represents an important source of neotropical parasitoids of the genus Anastrepha.…”

“…This prediction was based on two scenarios: (1) the bioclimatic conditions of the austral sector of the Yungas, in which a dry-cold season alternating with a rainy-warm season, but with significant variations of temperature within each season (Brown et al 2001;Ovruski et al 2004), and (2) the fruiting phenology of A. fraterculus host plants, which involves an extended period of suitable host unavailability (Ovruski et al 2003). Particularly, the study aimed at determining (1) the incidence of diapause (percentage of individuals entering diapause) in each parasitoid species collected from the three major A. fraterculus host plants, (2) the incidence of diapause according to the fruiting period of each fruit species sampled, (3) the length of diapause period for each parasitoid species, and (4) the proportion of diapausing parasitoid individuals that displayed prolonged diapause.…”

Rearing of the fruit fly parasitoidDiachasmimorpha longicaudata(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on X-ray irradiated larvae ofCeratitis capitata(Diptera: Tephritidae)

“…The former has shown greater adaptability, being distributed in almost all of Argentina over a wide range of climates, whereas the latter is restricted to subtropical regions, being more abundant in the central and the northern parts of the country (Ovruski, Cancino, Fidalgo, and Liedo 1999). Both fruit fly species attack a wide range of commercial crops (Prunus spp., Malus spp., Pyrus spp., Citrus spp., and vegetables) and many wild fruits of species in the Myrtaceae and Rosaceae (Liquido, Shinoda, and Cunningham 1991;Ovruski, Schliserman, and Aluja 2003;Segura et al 2006). Annual losses from direct damage are estimated to be 15Á20% of Argentinian fruit production (Alvarado and Ritacco 1991;Guillén and Sánchez 2007), and the presence of even a single individual of one of these tephritid species can prevent the exportation of fresh fruit to countries free of these pests (SENASA-PROCEM 2000).…”