Polytene chromosome maps of the melon fly Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Standard photographic maps of the polytene chromosomes are presented for the melon fly Bactrocera cucurbitae, a serious pest of fleshy fruits and vegetables. Five larval salivary gland polytene chromosomes (10 polytene arms) were isolated, and their characteristic features and landmarks have been recognized. Banding patterns of each of the polytene arms are presented, where variation in band intensity and puffs appear to reflect fundamental differences in chromosomes. The whole polytene genome has been typically mapped by dividing it into 100 sections and the subsections were lettered. The mitotic chromosomes of larval brain ganglia are also examined, five pairs of autosomes and an XX/XY sex chromosome pair. In addition, a heterochromatic mass corresponding to the sex chromosomes are observed in the polytene nuclei of salivary gland tissue. This investigation showed that B. cucurbitae has excellent cytological material for polytene chromosome analysis and proved to be very useful for obtaining more detailed genetic information on the pest's natural populations.     

Genetic relationship of the melon fly,Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) inferred from mitochondrial DNA

Abstract The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), has been the subject of worldwide quarantine and management efforts due to its widespread agricultural impact and potential for rapid range expansion. From its presumed native distribution in India, this species has spread throughout the hot‐humid regions of the world. We provide information that reveals population structure, invasion history and population connectivity from 23 locations covering nine countries based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. Forty‐two polymorphic sites were described among 38 haplotypes. The most common haplotype, H1, was observed in 73% of the samples distributed among all populations. Highest genetic diversity was seen within populations, and no isolation‐by‐distance was detected. The western regions (Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Burma and China‐west) showed higher haplotype diversity than eastern regions (China‐east). China‐Yunnan showed highest levels of genetic diversity in China. Haplotype diversity decreased with longitude from west to east. Together, these analyses suggest that B. cucurbitae has expanded from west to east within a limited geographic scale and recently invaded China through Yunnan Province.     

The production of pheromone clouds by spraying in the melon fly,Dacus cucurbitae coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Pheromone clouds sprayed by melon fly males were visually detected by focusing a beam of light at them during dusk when the males were vibrating their wings. The clouds were sprayed to the front, rear and upper sides of the male. We found that special morphological structures are used for spraying the pheromone clouds. When a male melon fly engages in calling behavior, sex pheromone droplets are excreted from his anus. This excretion is wiped off with the tarsus of his hind leg, and then it is deposited on the sexually dimorphic cubital cell hairs on the wing. During wing vibration, the targal bristles on the 3rd abdominal segment, which are peculiar to males, are rubbed against the specialized hairs of the cubital cell. Calling males sprayed clouds of pheromone with these actions. This paper was presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology (Kochi, April, 1988).     

Acoustic studies on the mechanism of sound production in the mating songs of the melon fly,Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The sound production mechanism in the male mating songs for the melon flyDacus cucurbitae Coquillett was acoustically investigated to determine whether sounds resulted from free wing-fanning or stridulation produced by contact between wing and abdominal pecten. Waveforms in the songs of normal (pecten-present) males showed more complex vibrations than those of pecten-removed males. The total harmonic distortion in normal songs was greater than that of the pecten-removed songs. Female (pecten-absent) songs showed different sound signatures on the oscillogram and frequency spectrum from normal male songs. The female songs had more harmonic components than the normal male songs. These results suggest that wing/pecten stridulation of normal male songs produces complicated wing oscillations with a small number of harmonics of near-periodic waveforms and a high harmonic distortion. They also suggest that the free wing-fanning observed during female and pecten-removed male songs produces simple and uniform wing oscillations with many harmonic contents of complex-periodic waveforms and low harmonic distortion. Despite the occurrence of some acoustic differences, pecten-removal did not positively influence the rate of copulation.     

Cage study of spinosad-based bait efficacy on Bactrocera cucurbitae, Dacus ciliatus, and Dacus demmerezi (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Reunion Island

On Reunion Island, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), Dacus ciliatus (Loew), and Dacus demmerezi (Bezzi) cause severe damage to Cucurbit crops. The aim of the study was to test in field cages the effectiveness of Synéis-appat (Dow AgroSciences), a spinosad-based bait (0.02% of spinosad) on both attraction and mortality of young adults (6-9 d old) of these three species. The effects of gender were also evaluated for all species whereas the effects of protein deprivation were tested with B. cucurbitae only. For the first 15 min after application, significantly more B. cucurbitae adults (21.7 +/- 1.8%) were attracted to the bait than D. demmerezi (7.6 +/- 2.4%) and D. ciliatus (2.7 +/- 1.4%); the subsequent response (30-75 min after bait application) of D. demmerezi was statistically similar to that recorded for B. cucurbitae; whereas the response ofD. ciliatus to the bait was consistently significantly lower. Adult mortality was significantly higher for B. cucurbitae (94.6 +/- 0.7%) than for D. demmerezi (85.7 +/- 2.1%), and was significantly higher for the latter than for D. ciliatus (60.4 +/- 4.4%). Sex had no significant effect on the mortality rate for each species. The efficiency of the bait was the same for B. cucurbitae adults regardless whether or not the diet included proteins. Overall, Synéis-appat appears to be more effective against B. cucurbitae and B. demmerezi than against D. ciliatus. In Reunion Island, this bait could constitute a useful component in the framework of Integrated Pest Management.     

瓜实蝇的风险性分析

风险性综合分析表明,瓜实蝇危险性R值为2．22,属于高度危险的有害生物。瓜实蝇在我国传播扩散将成为葫芦科蔬菜的重要害虫,已对我国南方地区的葫芦科蔬菜种植构成较大的潜在威胁。记载瓜实蝇寄主植物超过125种,瓜实蝇适生存范围广,1a多代,而且繁殖能力较强,一旦传播扩散,很难根除,是高度危险的有害生物。     

Population genetic structure of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase (COI) gene sequences

Population genetic structure of melon fly analysed with mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene suggested that melon fly populations across the globe is homogeneous with non-significant variation of 0.000-0.003 base substitutions per site. Test isolates representing various geographic situations across the world were placed in 26 mitochondrial haplotypes based on variations associated with a maximum of three mutational steps and the predominant haplotype i.e. H1 was present in all melon fly populations except Hawaiian population. Evolution of mtCOI gene suggested that the fly could have originated some 0.4 million years ago. The present study also indicated that the B. cucurbitae population expansion is an event of post Pleistocene warm climatic conditions with small number of founder population. The invasion of B. cucurbitae in Hawaii was associated with the large population size and the global presence of the fly is associated with human mediated dispersal. The very low genetic variation suggested that the fly management might be possible by large scale sterile insect techniques programme.     

Macrogeographic population structuring in the cosmopolitan agricultural pest Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The macrogeographic population structure of the agricultural pest Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) was investigated in order to identify the geographic origin of the species and reconstruct its range expansion. Individuals of B. cucurbitae were collected from 25 worldwide‐distributed localities (n = 570) and genotyped at 13 microsatellite loci. The Bayesian clustering reveals that B. cucurbitae can be subdivided into five main groups corresponding to populations from (i) the African continent, (ii) La Réunion, (iii) Central Asia, (iv) East Asia and (v) Hawaii. The proportions of inter‐regional assignments and the higher values of genetic diversity in populations from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh suggest that B. cucurbitae originated in Central Asia and expanded its range to East Asia and Hawaii on one hand and to Africa and the islands of the Indian Ocean on the other. A number of outliers (10–19 specimens according to different clustering algorithms) show high levels of admixture (Q > 0.70) with populations from different regions and reveal complex patterns of inter‐regional gene flow. Anthropogenic transport is the most plausible promoter of this large‐scale dispersal. The introduction of individuals from geographically distant sources did not have a relevant role in the most recent African invasions, which originated from the expansion of local populations. These results could provide a useful background to better evaluate invasion risks and establish priorities for the management of this cosmopolitan agricultural pest.     

Polymorphic microsatellite markers in the Melon Fruit Fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) is an important insect pest of melon fruit causing extensive losses of production in Asia and Pacific areas. Twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from an enriched DNA library of this species and their amplification characteristics are described. Genetic parameters were estimated on 80 individual flies from four natural populations. Allele numbers per locus ranged from three to 20. These microsatellite markers have potential utility in population structure and gene flow studies of B. cucurbitae.     

Movement of sterile male Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in a Hawaiian agroecosystem

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett, invaded the Hawaiian Island chain in 1895. In 1999, a program sponsored by the USDA-ARS to control melon fly and other tephritid pests in Hawaii over a wide area was initiated on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, and Oahu. To control these flies in an areawide setting, understanding how flies move within the landscape is important. To explore the movement of this fly, we examined the movement of marked, male, sterile, laboratory-reared B. cucurbitae on the island of Hawaii in an agricultural setting. Two releases of dyed, sterile flies consisting of approximately 15,000 flies, were released 6 wk apart. Released flies were trapped back by using Moroccan traps baited with a male attractant. These two releases suggest that in the Hawaiian agricultural areas where the areawide control is being sought, melon flies do not move extensively when there are abundant larval host and adult roosting sites. Over the course of this study, only one fly made it the maximum distance that we could detect fly movement (approximately 2,000 m in 2 wk). From these data, it seems that the flies dispersed throughout the study area but then moved very little thereafter. This is very apparent in the second release where the recovery rate after the second week was still fairly high, suggesting that if there are plenty of host fields and roosting sites the flies are unlikely to move.     

Olive fruit fly [Bactrocera (Dacus) oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae)] adult rearing diet without antibiotic

The olive fruit fly [Bactrocera (Dacus) oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae)] adult diet since its development in the 1960’s regularly incorporates antibiotic. Considering recent findings on the importance and function of the indigenous microbial flora of insects, the effects of antibiotic removal were measured on the survival and egg laying of wild flies derived from McPhail trappings and from field infested olive fruits. In the first case wild flies fed no antibiotic laid significantly greater numbers of eggs for two generations (in 5 out of 10 and 2 out of 10 counting dates for G1 and G2 respectively), while there were no significant differences in survival in either test (P = 0.221 for P generation, P = 0.988 for G1 generation from McPhail traps, P = 0.056 for flies from infested fruits). Percent egg–pupa recovery and adult emergence were not significantly affected by lack of antibiotic. An antibiotic‐free strain has been maintained for eight generations, showing acceptable performance when compared to the long‐reared standard ‘Laboratory’ strain. Overall results suggest the feasibility of an adult diet free of antibiotic without negative effects on colony survival and performance.     

Male courtship song in circadian rhythm mutants of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Tephritidae: Diptera)

Pulse train intervals (PTI) of courtship song were differentiated between circadian clock mutants of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Tephritidae: Diptera). We analysed the male mating song of B. cucurbitae flies of two mutant strains that differed in circadian locomotor rhythm by a LabVIEW programming system. Flies with a short circadian rhythm (S-strain) had shorter PTI than those with a long circadian rhythm (L-strain) in the two age groups tested, young and old. Young flies showed longer PTI than old flies, but no interaction between strain and age was found in PTI. There was a significant interaction between strain and age for pulse train duration (PTD), whereas no stable difference was found in PTD between S- and L-strains. These results suggest a positive correlation between the length of the circadian locomotor rhythm and PTI of courtship song sounds in B. cucurbitae.     

Response of melon fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) to weathered SPLAT-Spinosad-Cue-Lure

Studies were conducted in Hawaii to measure attraction of male melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), to SPLAT-Cue-Lure (C-L) and SPLAT-Melo-Lure (M-L) (raspberry ketone formate). Direct field comparisons of SPLAT-C-L and SPLAT-M-L at low (5%) and high (20%) concentrations indicated few differences in attraction over a 15-wk period. Subsequently, only SPLAT-Spinosad-C-L (5%) was compared with Min-U-Gel C-L with naled (standard used in California) in weathering studies. Treatments were weathered for 1, 2, 4, and 8 wk in Riverside, CA, and shipped to Hawaii for attraction/toxicity tests under field and semifield conditions by using released males of controlled ages, and for feeding tests in the laboratory. In terms of attraction, SPLAT-Spinosad-C-L compared favorably to, or outperformed the current standard of Min-U-Gel-C-L with naled. In terms of toxicity, the cumulative 24-h mortality did not differ between the two insecticide-containing C-L treatments in field cage studies after 8 wk. However, in feeding studies in which individual males were exposed for 5 min to the different C-L treatments after 4 wk of weathering, SPLAT-Spinosad-C-L demonstrated reduced mortality compared with the Min-U-Gel-C-L with naled, suggesting reduced persistence of the spinosad material. Spinosad has low contact toxicity and when mixed with SPLAT and C-L offers a reduced risk alternative for control of B. cucurbitae and related C-L-responding species, without many of the negative effects to humans and nontargets of broad-spectrum contact poisons such as naled.     

Population structure of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae, in Reunion Island

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is an agricultural pest of major significance worldwide that primarily attacks cucurbit crops. In Reunion Island, it represents the main tephritid pest on cucurbits. In this paper, we provide a genetic characterization of populations of B. cucurbitae from Reunion Island and investigate their geographical origin using ten microsatellite loci at two mitochondrial gene fragments. Microsatellites reveal the occurrence of three different genetic clusters of B. cucurbitae in Reunion Island, all clearly distinguishable from their African and Asian relatives. These three clusters are sympatric and show no signs of recent bottlenecks. Levels of gene flow among clusters are relatively high, yet gene flow also occurs with populations from the African continent and, to a lesser extent, from Asia. The B. cucurbitae clusters show distinct distributions across eastern and western locations in Reunion Island (but not at different altitudes or between wild and cultivated host plants or between sampling periods), and their abundance is also correlated with the average amount of rainfall. Microsatellite and sequence analyses suggest Africa as the most probable source area for populations of B. cucurbitae in Reunion Island.     

Polymorphic microsatellite markers in the guava fruit fly, Bactrocera correcta (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Bactrocera correcta (Bezzi) is one of the most destructive insect pests of fruits and vegetables in tropical and subtropical regions. At present, this fly is primarily distributed in Southeast Asia. Twelve microsatellite loci were isolated from an enriched genomic library based on a biotin/streptavidin capture protocol. The polymorphism of these loci was tested on 74 individual flies from two natural populations. Allele number ranged from 6 to 14 and 10 loci demonstrated a polymorphic information content (PIC) greater than 0.5. The pairwise F _ST value between the two populations was 0.0048 (P > 0.05). These microsatellite loci have potential utility for studies of population genetic structure in this species.     

Respiration and nutrition of radiation-sterilized female Dacus cucumis (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The oxygen consumption of flies irradiated with between 10 kilorads (krad) and 80 krad was not demonstrably different between doses, or when compared with untreated controls.Carbohydrate intake and initial body weights of irradiated flies were less than normal flies. However, the 10 krad irradiated flies accumulated a greater volume of fat body than normal flies, presumably because of failure of vitellogenesis in the former. Accumulation of fat body by 40 krad flies was initially retarded compared with 10 krad flies, but they later accumulated fat body at the same rate as the 10 krad flies. It is suggested that this was due to an initial hormonal disturbance caused by the higher dose.No degenerative changes were noted in the midgut of the 10 krad or 40 krad flies. The protein intake of these flies was similar to that of normal flies.

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Zusammenfassung Einige Autoren haben wahrscheinlich machen können, daß sterilisierende Strahlendosen bei einigen Insektengruppen den Stoffwechsel beeinflussen. Jedoch sind für die Dipteren wenig Beweise für solche durch Bestrahlung hervorgerufene Störungen veröffentlicht worden. Die in dieser Arbeit beschriebenen Versuche waren darauf gerichtet, die Einflüsse der Bestrahlung auf einige physiologische Systeme von weiblichen Dacus cucumis zu bestimmen.Auf den Sauerstoffverbrauch konnte eine Wirkung von Strahlendosen von 80 Kilorad (krad) nicht festgestellt werden.Beim Vergleich von unbestrahlten Fliegen mit solchen, die 10 oder 40 krad erhalten haben, wurde gefunden, daß in beiden Fällen die bestrahlten Tiere zunächst weniger als normale wogen, daß aber später die Wachstumsrate der bestrahlten Fliegen anstieg, so daß ihr Gewicht sich schließlich dem der normalen anglich.Der Verbrauch von Eiweißlösung durch mit 10 und 40 krad bestrahlten Fliegen war dem der normalen ähnlich. Jedoch verbrauchten die bestrahlten Fliegen eine geringere Menge Zuckerlösung als die normalen. Es wird angenommen, daß darin der Ausfall des Kohlenhydratbedarfs durch die sterilen Ovarien zum Ausdruck kommt.Die mit 10 krad bestrahlten Fliegen bildeten ein größeres Fettkörpervolumen als die normalen. Es wird vermutet, daß dies eine kombinierte Folge der Nicht-Auflösung des pupalen und des gesteigerten. Aufbaus des adulten Fettkörpers bei Ausschaltung funktionierender Ovarien darstellt.Der Aufbau des Fettkörpers war anfänglich bei den mit 40 krad bestrahlten Fliegen gegenüber den mit 10 krad bestrahlten gehemmt, aber nach einer Verzögerung war die Zuwachsrate den mit 10 krad bestrahlten ähnlich. Es wird angenommen, daß das auf einer anfänglichen Hormonstörung bei den mit 40 krad bestrahlten Fliegen beruhen konnte.

     

Development of immature stages and comparative demography of two cucurbit-attacking fruit flies in Reunion Island: Bactrocera cucurbitae and Dacus ciliatus (Diptera Tephritidae)

On Reunion Island, two species of Dacini, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) and Dacus ciliatus Loew, infest 16 host plant species belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae from sea level to 1,600 m. These two species represent two primary pests of this plant family on the island. Melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae, and Ethiopian fruit fly, D. ciliatus, larval development was studied at four different constant temperatures (15, 20, 25, and 30 degrees C) with three host plants (cucumber, pumpkin, and squash). Adult life histories of these two species were studied at 25 degrees C with the three host plants. The results led to the conclusion that B. cucurbitae had a faster egg incubation time. Its preimaginal instars developed significantly faster than those of D. ciliatus independent of temperature. B. cucurbitae and D. ciliatus had similar mean preoviposition duration and egg hatching success. Fecundity was significantly higher for the melon fly on cucumber and pumpkin and lower on squash. Two distinctly different life- history patterns were evident: (1) later onset of reproduction, longer oviposition time, longer life span, and higher fecundity (B. cucurbitae) and (2) early reproduction, lower oviposition time, shorter life span, and lower fecundity (D. ciliatus). These results are useful for improving laboratory-rearing methods and for building simulation models to predict Dacini population dynamics.     

Demography of a native strain of the melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae, from Hawaii

Preadult development and survival rates for a wild strain of melon fly in Hawaii were examined when reared on six common hosts at 25°C. These data were combined with information gathered on adult survival, fecundity and fertility in order to construct life tables.The duration of the egg stage was slightly over 1 day for this species. Depending on host, larval-to-adult development and survival rates were 17–20 days and 35–85%, respectively. Gross fecundity (total eggs) was 1293 eggs/ while net fertility (total fertile eggs weighted by hatch and adult survival) was 518 fertile eggs/. The finite rate of increase () for the species was conditional on the host on which it was reared and ranged from 1.08 to 1.12. The percent of adults in the stable age distribution averaged around 14% over all hosts.

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Démographie d'une souche de Dacus cucurbitae Coquillet, originaire d'Hawaii

Résumé Le développement préimaginal et les taux de survie d'une souche sauvage de D. cucurbitae de Hawaí sur six hôtes courants ont été examinés à 25°C. Ces résultats ont été combinés aux informations récoltées sur la survie des adultes, la fécondité et la fertilité pour réaliser des tables de vie.La durée du stade oeuf est légèrement supérieure à un jour pour cette espèce. La durée de développement de l'éclosion de l'oeuf à l'imago et les taux de survie ont été respectivement de 17 à 20 jours et de 35 à 85% suivant les hôtes. La fécondité brute (ponte totale) a été de 1293 oeufs par femelle, tandis qui la fertilité (nombre total d'oeufs fertiles pondéré par les taux d'éclosion et de survie des adultes) était de 518 oeufs fertiles par femelle.Le taux d'accroissement () variait de 1,08 à 1,12 suivant l'hôte sur lequel D. cucurbitae a été élevé. La proportion d'adultes dans une distribution en âge stable était d'environ 14% sur tous les hôtes.