Isolation and cytogenetic analyses of genetic sexing strains for the medfly,Ceratitis capitata

Over the last 10 years, several genetic sexing strains have been isolated for the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, with the aim of improving the Sterile Insect Technique. However, a major problem with the currently used genetic sexing system, which is based on translocations, is their potential genetic instability. Therefore, careful monitoring and chromosome analyses are necessary when new genetic sexing strains are developed. Instability of a genetic sexing strain can be the consequence of recombination or the survival of aneuploid individuals occurring as a consequence of adjacent-1 segregation in the meiosis of males with Y-autosome translocations. Recently, genetic sexing strains have been isolated that show only low levels of recombination. However, many aneuploid flies are produced by these strains. Therefore, we have made an attempt to isolate new genetic sexing strains that show a low percentage of recombination and no survival of aneuploid individuals. We report their genetic behaviour and the polytene chromosome structure of these new strains.     

Field cage studies with a genetic sexing strain in the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata

Using a genetic sexing line based on pupal colour dimorphism in Ceratitis capitata Wied., field cage experiments were carried out with a wild population in Italy. The experiments were designed to monitor the competitiveness of males of this line in comparison with wild males and to assess the effect of removal of females prior to release on the proportion of wild females mated by the released males.The results showed that the genetic sexing strain competed well with the wild population but there was a large degree of intra-strain mating. Removal of females prior to release radically changed the mating pattern from intra to inter-strain mating. This change greatly increases the efficiency of the sterile insect method of control.It was concluded that as well as the obvious economic advantages of genetic sexing, significant biological advantages would also be associated with the integration of such a strain in a sterile insect control programme.

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Résumé Des expériences en cage en champ ont été réalisées en Italie avec des populations naturelles de Ceratitis capitata en utilisant une lignée dont le sexage était basé sur le dimorphisme de la couleur des pupes. Les expériences ont été conçues pour contrôler la compétitivité des mâles de cette lignée face aux mâles sauvages, et d'évaluer l'effet du retrait des femelles avant le lâcher sur le pourcentage de femelles sauvages accouplées avec des mâles lâchés.Les expériences montrent que la compétition ne défavorise pas la lignée génétiquement sexable mais révèlent une fréquence élevée d'accouplement intralignée.Le retrait des femelles avant le lâcher modifie radicalement l'orientation des accouplements d'intra vers interlignées. Ce changement accroît fortement l'efficacité de la technique d'utilisation des mâles stériles dans la lutte biologique. On en a conclu que non seulement des intérêts économiques évidents mais aussi des avantages biologiques significatifs seraient retirés de l'intégration de telles lignées sexables génétiquement dans les programmes de lutte avec des mâles stériles.

     

Genetic sexing in the mediterranean fruit fly,Ceratitis capitata,using the alcohol dehydrogenase locus

Summary Using the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) locus a genetic sexing system is being developed in the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata based on the sensitivity of ADH null mutations to environmental ethanol. A series of null mutants have been induced at this locus, however, none proved viable as homozygotes. One of these null mutants was translocated to the male determining chromosome and this line can be used for genetic sexing. When larvae from this line were reared on larval medium containing various concentrations of allyl alcohol, 97% of the emerging adults were males; in the absence of the allyl alcohol the sex ratio in the line is distorted in favour of the females. It is proposed that the higher ADH activity of the females (homozygous positive) in comparison with the males (heterozygous null) is responsible for their lower survival in larval medium containing allyl alcohol. ADH converts the allyl alcohol to the lethal ketone. The possible use of this line to sex large populations of medflies for use in sterile insect release programmes is discussed.     

Recombination between homologous autosomes in medfly (Ceratitis capitata) males: type-1 recombination and the implications for the stability of genetic sexing strains

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environmentally safe technology to control insect pests. To improve this technology, genetic sexing strains (GSS) have been developed for the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata. Such strains are based on Y-autosome translocations linking a selectable marker to the male sex and their long-term stability, especially under large-scale mass rearing conditions, is threatened by genetic recombination in the heterozygous males. We have measured male recombination in order to be able to construct GSS that are more stable. Our results show that male recombination occurs at very low frequencies, that is, below 1% per generation. Furthermore, recombination in medfly males occurs premeiotically. By selecting strains where the Y-autosome translocation breakpoint and the selectable marker are closely linked, the deleterious effects of recombination on the stability of GSS can be minimized. In such strains recombination is reduced by ca. 80% as compared to previously studied GSS. Although recombinants still occur at very low frequencies they still pose a threat to the integrity of the sexing system if they possess a selective advantage. Under mass rearing condition such recombinants will accumulate according to their relative fitness and additional measures, such as improved mass rearing strategies, are required to preserve the accuracy of the sexing system. As a conclusion it is shown that current GSS are stable enough to allow mass rearing at levels exceeding 1000 million male medflies per week.     

Chromosomal inversions and genetic control revisited: the use of inversions in sexing systems for higher Diptera

Summary Genetic sexing systems based on sex-linked translocations and deleterious mutations are subject to breakdown from genetic recombination in males. Including inversions in these strains may provide a solution to this problem, by ensuring selective elimination of recombinant products. Inversions could be used either in coupling to or in repulsion to the translocation. The latter system, requiring homozygous-viable inversions, would be more difficult to construct, but would offer several advantages not available with coupled translocation/inversion systems. A system proposed for the blowfly Lucilia cuprina is outlined, which combines homozygous-viable pericentric inversions in repulsion to existing sex-linked translocations. This system should both stabilize the genetic sexing system and increase the suppressive potential of such strains.     

Assessment of quality control parameters during mass rearing of a pupal colour genetic sexing strain of the Mediterranean fruit fly

Quality control charts were employed to monitor the quality of several parameters during mass rearing of the T : Y(wp ⁺)30C strain of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), in which male and female flies emerge from brown and white puparia, respectively. Egg hatch and pupal recovery in this genetic sexing strain were below that reported for a wild-type Sohag strain, whereas pupal size, adult emergence and flight ability were higher. The overall recovery from eggs to adult flies capable of flight was similar in the two strains but egg production in T:Y(wp ⁺)30C was reduced to about 56% of that of Sohag. The quality control charts showed an acceptable level of variation within sets of data but the level between data sets was occasionally out of control. This indicated the presence of uncontrolled conditions during the rearing process, possibly arising from variations in the quality of the larval diet. It is concluded that the quality of T : Y(wp ⁺)30C renders this strain suitable for mass rearing in sterile insect technique (SIT) programmes requiring the elimination of the female flies prior to the release of sterilized males. The next step should involve further quality assessments both under field cage and under field release conditions. The importance of optimal and standardized dietary conditions is stressed in relation to the quality of mass reared medflies.

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Résumé Des normes de qualité ont été utilisées pour relever la valuer de plusieurs paramètres lors de l'élevage industriel de la souche T : Y(wp ⁺)30C de C. capitata Wied. dont les mâles et les femelles émergent respectivement de pupes brunes et blanches. Les taux d'éclosion et d'obtention de pupes sont plus faibles avec cette souche qu'avec la souche souvage Sohag; par contre, la taille des pupes, le taux d'émergence des adultes et l'aptitude au vol étaient plus élevés. La fréquence totale des adultes capables de voler par rapport au nombre initial d'ufs a été de 0,297 contre environ 0,311 pour Sohag. Cependant, la production d'ufs a été réduite à environ 56% de celle de Sohag. Les tableaux de contrôle de la qualité ont révélé un niveau de variation acceptable à l'interieur rieur des lots de données, mais la variabilité entre les lots excédait les normes admissibles. Ceci implique des paramètres incontrôlés pendant l'élevage de masse, probablement liés à des variations de la qualité de l'aliment. On peut en conclure que la qualité de la souche T : Y(wp ⁺)30C la rend utilisable pour un élevage de masse dans des programmes d'utilisation d'insectes stériles (SIT) exigeant l'élimination des femelles avant le lâcher de mâles stériles. La prochaine étape impliquera de nouvelles épreuves de qualité dans des cages en champ et dans les conditions de libération dans la nature. L'importance des conditions optimales d'une alimentation standardisée est soulignée par la qualité des mouches obtenues en élevage de masse.

     

Viability and behaviour of translocations that suppress female recombination in the Mediterranean fruit fly,Ceratitis capitata (Wied.)

Summary The viability of a series of recombination suppressor (RS) strains in Ceratitis capitata, all previously found to contain a reciprocal autosomal translocation, was assessed for egg hatchability and adult emergence in both the homozygous and heterozygous state. Except in T 30C, which contains a Y-autosome translocation in addition to the A-A translocation, egg hatch was significantly reduced in all heterozygous translocation strains, and ranged from 42.4% to 58.5% in seeded eggs compared to a control value of 82.8%. Adult emergence from hatched eggs was affected to a lesser extent, but with a range of 59.5% to 84.2%, compared to the control value of 83.1%, remained significantly reduced in 4 of the 6 translocation strains, as well as in the male line of T 30C. In the homozygous configuration all strains, except T 19 and T 109, showed a significant reduction in egg hatchability, whereas adult emergence was not adversely affected. A significant reduction in the egg hatchability of the translocation heterozygotes compared to that of the homozygotes was observed in 5 of the 7 strains, the observed reduction in T 55/109 being non-significant while that of T 30C was significantly increased. The behaviour of translocations as recombination suppressors and their suitability for inclusion in breeding schemes for the isolation of induced recessive mutations is discussed.This work forms part of a Joint FAO/IAEA research programme on the development of genetic sexing mechanisms for the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.)     

Metamorphosis-associated proteolysis in Ceratitis capitata

The induction of several biochemical indicators of larval tissue histolysis in the Medfly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) (Wiedemann) was studied. Using synchronized third instar larvae, we have determined the time of occurence of gut evacuation (12 h before puparium formation, bpf), disappearance of digestive enzymes (10 h bpf), and jumping from the food (8 h bpf). We can also correlate these events temporally with other early landmarks of metamorphosis.The decrease in protein content between 0 hours and 144 hours after puparium formation (0–144 h apf) corresponds to a sharp increase of total acid proteolytic activity measured in vitro from 0 to 44 h apf. This activity appears to be lysosomal, judging by the activation of other lysosomal markers, such as acid phosphatase and -glycosidases. The maximum proteolytic activity occurs during the pre-pupa to pupa transition, i.e. during morphogenesis from the cryptocephalic to the phanerocephalic pupa. The results of endopeptidase inhibitor assays indicate that in dipterans, members of the aspartic and cystein proteinase families are responsible for the degradation of larval tissues.     

Learning to find fruit in Ceratitis capitata flies

Wild Mediterranean fruit fly females, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), from an essentially monophagous population on the island of Hawaii were exposed to natural mock orange (Murraya paniculata) or sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) host fruit hung from branches of potted trees for 3-day periods in field enclosures. Subsequently, when flies were released individually onto potted trees harboring one or the other (or a mixture) of these fruit types, a higher proportion visited the type of fruit with which they were familiar (and visitors found familiar fruit faster) compared with the fruit type with which they were unfamiliar. Moreover, fruit-finding flies of this monophagous population attempted oviposition exclusively in the familiar fruit type, and thus appeared to be just as capable of learning to accept fruit for oviposition as wild flies from a previously-tested polyphagous population on the island of Maui. Additional tests were conducted in which flies were exposed to natural or colored-wax-covered mock oranges or sweet oranges and tested for response to colored-wax-covered natural or artificial fruit. Results suggested that fruit size was the principal character learned and used in finding mock orange or sweet orange fruit, while fruit color and odor appeared to be of little or no importance in this regard.

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Résumé Des femelles sauvages d'une population essentiellement monophage de C. capitata Wiedemann, provenant de l'île de Hawaï, ont été mises en présence pendant des périodes de 3 jours dans des enceintes dans la nature à des fruits de Murraya paniculata et de Citrus sinensis suspendus à des branches d'arbres empotés. Quand les mouches ont été libérées individuellement sur les arbres empotés portant l'un ou l'autre de ces fruits (ou leur mélange), une plus forte proportion a visité le fruit avec lequel elles étaient familiarisées (et l'ont trouvé plus vite) que le fruit avec lequel elles ne n'étaient pas. De plus, les femelles découvrant des fruits de cette population monophage ne tentèrent de pondre que dans le type de fruit avec lequel elle étaient familiarisées. Elles se montrèrent aussi capables que les mouches d'une population polyphage de l'île de Maui d'apprendre à accepter de nouveaux fruits pour pondre. Des expériences complémentaires ont été réalisées dans lesquelles les mouches étaient mises en présence de fruits de M. paniculata ou de C. sinensis naturels ou couverts de cire colorée ou encore de fruits artificiels. Les résultats suggèrent que la taille du fruit est le principal critère d'apprentissage utilisé pour trouver M. paniculata ou C. sinensis, la couleur et l'odeur du fruit étant apparus comme de moindre importance ou sans effet.

     

Evidence for a genetic duplication involving alcohol dehydrogenase genes inCeratitis capitata

AnAdh duplication is described in the medflyCeratitis capitata. Evidence is presented for two separateAdh ₁ andAdh ₂ structural loci mapping at a distance of 0.49 recombination unit from each other. By deletion mapping theAdh region has been cytologically located near the free end of the left arm of the second chromosome within an area between 2C;3A segments of the polytene chromosome. The genetic analysis of the region aroundAdh has identified seven neighboring genes (Acon ₁,Mpi, Est ₆,Aox, Xdh, Mdh ₂,Lsp _I) which identify the linkage group D. The orientation of loci with regard to the centromere sets the origin of the map of the left arm of the second chromosome close to the twoAdh loci.Research supported by National Research Council of Italy, Special Project RAISA, Subproject N.2, Paper N.200. Grants from I.A.E.A. (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria) and from European Communities Commission, Second R&D Programme Science and Technology for Development also contributed to this work.     

Differences in learning between wild and laboratory Ceratitis capitata flies

Laboratory-reared and wild-collected adult female Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann, were exposed to two host fruit species, sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.) and mock orange (Murraya paniculata Jack: Rutaceae). The effect of experience with a fruit species on acceptance of these fruit species (i.e., learning) differed between lab and wild females, but only for flies that were exposed to mock orange. Similar differences in fruit acceptance between lab and wild females were observed when individuals experienced with one fruit species were exposed to the other fruit species (i.e., switching). Finally, when each group was exposed to sweet orange, wild flies subsequently deprived of host fruit retained the effect of exposure on acceptance of mock orange 1 day longer than did lab flies subsequently deprived of host fruit. An hypothesis is presented by which selection under artificial culture gave rise to these differences.

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Résumé Des Ceratitis capitata femelles, élevées au laboratoire ou obtenues dans la nature à partir d'Eriobotrya japonica, ont été mises en présence de Citrus sinensis et de Murraya paniculata. L'effet de l'accoutumance à une espèce de fruit sur l'acceptation ultérieure des fruits d'une espèce déterminée (c'est-à-dire l'apprentissage) n'était pas le même pour les mouches sauvages et pour les mouches de laboratoire accoutumées à M. paniculata. Les mouches sauvages accoutumées à M. paniculata tentent de pondre dans C. sinensis beaucoup moins fréquemment que dans M. paniculata. Par contre, les mouches de laboratoire accoutumées à M. paniculata tentent de pondre dans M. paniculata aussi souvent que dans C. sinensis. Des différences du même type entre mouches sauvages et mouches du laboratoire ont été observées quand les individus mis en expérience avec une espèce de fruit ont été ensuite exposés à l'autre espèce, c'est-à-dire lors de réapprentissage. L'acceptation finale par les mouches de laboratoire dépend un peu plus de l'exposition à C. sinensis et un peu moins à celle de M. paniculata que lors de l'acceptation finale par des mouches sauvages. Enfin, des mouches sauvages accoutumées à C. sinensis et privées de leurs fruits, conservent un jour de plus l'effet de l'accoutumance, lors de l'acceptation de M. paniculata, que les mouches de laboratoire placées dans les mêmes conditions.Nous émettons l'hypothèse qu'une sélection due aux conditions d'élevage est à l'origine de ces différences. L'élevage dans de grandes bouteilles de polyéthylène peut sélectionner des mouches qui apprennent plus difficilement en présence de petits fruits comme M. paniculata et qui conservent l'influence de l'expérience pendant un temps plus bref.

     

Inter-population variation among Ceratitis capitata flies in host acceptance pattern

Significant inter-populational differences in propensity to attempt boring into (accept) various types of fruit for oviposition were found among Ceratitis capitata females from two wild sources and one laboratory source. Evidence suggests that (a) fruit size had a strong influence whereas fruit taxonomic status had little influence on the acceptance pattern of each population, and (b) at least a portion of the inter-populational variation had a genetic basis.

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Zusammenfassung Bei zwei Wildherkünften und einem Laboratoriumsstamm von Ceratitis capitata wurden Weibchen auf ihre Neigung zur Probebohrung in Früchte vor der Eiablage untersucht; dabei ergaben sich gesicherte Unterschiede zwischen den Populationen. Die Resultate deuten drauf hin, (a) dass die Fruchtgrösse einen grossen, und die taxonomische Stellung der Früchte einen kleinen Einfluss auf das Annahmemuster der Populationen ausübt, und (b) dass mindestens ein Teil der Unterschiede zwischen den Populationen genetisch bedingt ist.

     

Mass rearing of temperature sensitive genetic sexing strains in the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata)

Genetic sexing strains (GSS) based on the temperature sensitive lethal(tsl) mutation are being used to produce sterile male medflies for large scale sterile insect technique (SIT) programmes for this pest. The use of male-only strains increases the overall efficiency of the technique. Currently more than 1.4 billion sterile male-only pupae are produced per week in different facilities around the world. Due to the mutations used to construct these strains, that is, translocations and selectable markers, they require different and more careful mass rearing procedures than do bisexual strains (BSS). The basic rearing technology has been developed and can be used to produce only males on a predictable basis to a level of 99.9% accuracy. If specific rearing procedures are followed, then tsl-based GSS has a rearing efficiency that is equal to that of a BSS and it is already know that males produced by the tsl-based GSS are of equal quality to males produced by BSS. Based on current rearing technology the cost of production of male pupae is about the same for both types of strain. This is due to the large colony that is required for the tsl-based GSS. This paper discusses the considerations that need to be taken into account during mass rearing of GSS and identifies the most efficient production processes that are currently available.     

Local enhancement of arrivals of Ceratitis capitata females on fruit mimics

Mature female Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), isolated from conspecifics for 7 days prior to testing in laboratory cages, were attracted to yellow plastic fruit-mimicking hemispheres or spheres in significantly greater numbers when groups of conspecific females were present than absent on fruit mimics. Attraction of females to conspecifics occurred for females deprived of protein or continuously provided with protein since eclosion, for fruit mimics that were unbaited or baited with odor of food or fruit, and under single-choice as well as multiple-choice test conditions. Attraction proved just as great to fruit mimics having dead conspecifics as to mimics having live conspecifics, was evident also when fruit mimics were orange or white, and occurred also in response to presence of live Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel)females on fruit mimics. We discuss our findings in relation to local enhancement, a form of social facilitation in insects and other animals.     

Cchobo, a hobo-related sequence in Ceratitis capitata

A hobo-related sequence, Cchobo, with high similarity to the Drosophila melanogaster HFL1 and hobo₁₀₈ elements was isolated from the medfly. Thirteen PCR-derived clones, which share 97.9–100% DNA identity, were sequenced, seven of which do not show frame-shift or stop codon mutations in their conceptual translations. The consensus sequence has 99.7% DNA identity with the D. melanogaster hobo element HFL1. In a phylogenetic analysis with other hobo-related elements, Cchobo clusters with the HFL1 and hobo₁₀₈ elements from D. melanogaster and hobo-related elements from D. simulans, D. mauritiana and Mamestra brassicae. These elements may have undergone horizontal transfer in the recent past. The genomic distribution of Cchobo was studied by FISH to mitotic and polytene chromosomes, which revealed that Cchobo is distributed within both the heterochromatin and euchromatin. Intra- and interstrain polymorphisms were detected both at euchromatic and heterochromatic sites. These findings suggest that active copies of the element may be present in the medfly genome.     

Opa-like repeats in the genome of the Medfly Ceratitis capitata

The sequence determination of several genomic clones isolated from the Mediterranean fruitfly Ceratitis capitata identified the existence of opa-like repeats, often more than one being clustered in small chromosomal segments. These repeats have previously been shown to consist of stretches of tandemly reiterated glutamine-encoding residues, and they are found in multiple genes of several organisms. Most of the repeats described here are flanked or interrupted by stop codons in all reading frames and, thus, could not possibly be part of protein-coding sequences. Furthermore, these repeats, of which there are several hundred in the genome of the Medfly, can be used effectively for the determination of sequence polymorphisms, providing a convenient approach to obtain additional landmarks for the construction of genomic maps of this economically important insect.This paper is dedicated to the memory of our colleague and friend Dr. Jim Flach who took part in the initial phase of this work and died during the course of the investigation.     

Intra-tree foraging behavior of Ceratitis capitata flies in relation to host fruit density and quality

We examined the intra-tree foraging behavior of individually-released, wild-population Mediterranean fruit flies (medflies), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), on field-caged host trees bearing each of three different densities (0, 3, or 12 per tree) of non-infested host fruit (kumquat) or each of two levels of fruit quality (12 non-infested fruit or 12 fruit infested with eggs and covered with host marking pheromone). With increasing density of non-infested fruit, medflies tended to remain longer in trees, visit more fruit before leaving, oviposit more often, accept a proportionately smaller number of fruit visited, and emigrate sooner after the last egg was laid (i.e. have a shorter Giving-Up-Time). Medflies spent much less time, oviposited much less often, and exhibited a longer Giving-Up-Time on trees harboring pheromone-marked fruit than non-infested fruit. Variation in temperature within the range at which experiments were conducted (25–36°C) had little detectable influence on foraging behavior. We compare our findings with published findings on the intra-tree foraging behavior of another tephritid fly, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), and with current foraging behavior theory. We discuss implications of our findings with respect to medfly management strategies, particularly fruit stripping in eradication programs and use of synthetic marking pheromone for control.

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Résumé Nous avons étudié le comportement de prospection dans un arbre, de femelles d'une population sauvage de C. capitata, libérées individuellement à l'intérieur de cages contenant des Eriobotrya japonica (kumquat), portant chacun 3 densités différentes de fruits no contaminés (0, 3, 12 par arbre) et chacun 2 niveaux de qualité de fruits: 12 fruits non infestés ou 12 fruits contaminés par des oeufs et recouverts de phéromone de marquage de l'hôte. C. capitata avait terndance à rester plus longtemps dans les arbres, à visiter plus de fruits avant le quitter, à pondre plus souvent, à accepter proportionnellement un nombre plus réduit de fruits déjà visités, à émigrer plus tôt après la ponte du dernier oeuf (c'est-à-dire à présenter un temps d'abandon plus bref), quand la densité des fruits non contaminés augmentait. C. capitata a dépensé beaucoup moins de temps, pondu beaucoup moins souvent, et présenté un temps d'abandon plus long sur les arbres portant des fruits marqués par la phéromone que sur ceux ayant des fruits non contaminés. Les variations de température dans la gamme de cells où les observations ont eu lieu (23–36°C) n'ont eu qu'une faible influence décelable sur le comportement de prospection. Nous avons comparé nos résultats avec ceux publiés sur la prospection à l'intérieur de l'arbre par une autre téphritide (Rhagoletis pomonella) et avec la théorie dominante sur le comportement de prospection. Nous discutons les conséquences de nos résultats sur les stratégies de lutte contre C. capitata, en particulier l'élimination des fruits dans les plans d'erradication et l'utilisation de phéromone synthétique de marquage.

     

Effect of color properties on the selection of oviposition site by Ceratitis capitata

In laboratory experiments of the choice type, wild Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), originating from infested figs collected in the island of Chios, Greece, showed strong preference for oviposition in black, blue and red colored ceresin wax domes 18 mm in diameter. Green and orange domes were less preferred, while yellow and white domes received the least number of eggs when a preferred color was present. The observed preference for certain colors was found to depend on both the color hue and the intensity of the total reflected light (brightness), while the degree the colored domes contrasted with the background had little if any effect. The females visited the domes of the preferred colors most frequently, which indicates that some selection occurred before arrival on the domes.

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Zusammenfassung In Auswahlversuchen im Labor zeigten wilde Mittelmeerfruchtfliegen, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), die aus infestierten Feigen der Insel Chios, Griechenland, stammten, eine starke Bevorzugung für schwarze, blaue und rote Ceresin Waxdome mit 18 mm Durchmesser. Grüne und orangefarbene Dome waren weniger bevorzugt, während gelbe und weisse Dome mit nur wenigen Eiern belegt wurden, wenn eine der bevorzugten Farben anwesend war. Die beobachtete Bevorzugung für gewisse Farben hängt vom Farbton und vom total reflektierten Licht (Helligkeit) ab, jedoch hatte die Stärke des Kontrastes der farbigen Dome vom Untergrund wenig oder keinen Einfluss. Die Weibchen besuchten öfter die Dome mit bevorzugten Farben, was darauf hindeutet, dass sie sie vor ihrer Ankunft auswählten.