A review of the current knowledge on Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera, Tephritidae) in Africa, with a list of species included in Zeugodacus

Published online 2015 Nov 26This paper reviews all available information regarding the occurrence and biology of the melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), in the Afrotropical Region, including data on invasion history, distribution patterns, population genetics, host range, and interspecific competition. Although limited intraspecific variability has been observed within the region regarding the above mentioned aspects, there seems to be no indication that Zeugodacus cucurbitae represents a species complex. A checklist of all of the species included in Zeugodacus as recently proposed by Virgilio et al. (2015) is provided

Population Dynamics and Niche Partionning between Invasive Tephritids in Comoros

Ten Tephritid species of economic importance occur in the Comoros Union, including Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) that was first recorded in 2005. Comoros Union is composed of three volcanic islands (Grande Comore, Moheli and Anjouan) each with different topography and strong differences in climatic factors within and between islands. Up to now, little was known about the influence of these factors on fruit fly species composition, distribution and interactions on the archipelago. The main objectives of this study were to characterize the population dynamics of fruit flies in relation to seasonality and host fruit availability and the effect of temperature and rainfall on the distribution of fruit fly species. Field was carried in 11 sites across the three islands within an altitudinal range of 55 to 855 meters above sea level for 2 years. Four different lures were used throughout the survey and fruit phenology was recorded weekly. The invasive species B. dorsalis was recorded as the most dominant species followed by Ceratitis capitata accounting for …% and …%, respectively. The population density of the different species was higher during the hot and rainy season than during the cold and dry season. Higher densities of B. dorsalis were observed on Grande Comore Island compared to Moheli and Anjouan where the invasion is probably more recent. The abundance of B. dorsalis was significantly higher in guava and mango compared to the other host species. Bactrocera dorsalis was found to prefer hot and humid areas, while C. capitata preferred dry areas of medium altitude, suggesting niche climatic partitioning between the two species. (Résumé d'auteur

Population dynamics and niche partioning between invasive Tephritids in Comoros

Ten species of tephritids of economic importance occur in the Comoros Union, including Bactrocera dorsalis that was first recorded in 2005. Comoros Union is composed of three volcanic islands (Grande Comore, Moheli and Anjouan) each with different topography and strong differences in climatic factors within and between islands. Up to now, little was known about the influence of these factors on tephritid species distribution and interactions on the archipelago. The main objectives of this study were to characterize (i) population dynamics of fruit flies in relation toseasonality and host fruit availability and (ii) the geographic distribution of tephritids in relation to temperature and rainfall. The study was carried out on all three islands in 11 sites (altitudes from 55 m to 855 m) during two years. In each site, flies were collected in eight traps (four different lures, replicated twice) and fruit phenology was recorded weekly. The invasive species B. dorsalis was found as the most dominant species followed by Ceratitis capitata. The population density of the different species was higher during the hot and rainy season than during the cold and dry season. Higher densities of B. dorsalis were observed on Grande Comore than on Moheli or Anjouan where the invasion is probably more recent. High densities of B. dorsalis were significantly related to fruiting of guava and mango. Bactrocera dorsalis was found to prefer hot and humid areas, while C. capitata preferred dry areas of medium altitude, suggesting niche climatic partitioning between the two species. (Texte intégral

Invasion by Bactrocera dorsalis and niche partitioning among tephritid species in Comoros

Ten economically important species belonging to the Tephritidae have been recorded in Union of the Comoros (an island nation off the coast of East Africa). Little is known about the distribution of these species and how they are affected by climatic factors in the Comoros archipelago. The main objectives of this study were to characterize: (i) the population dynamics of tephritid fruit flies in relation to season and host fruit availability and (ii) the geographic distribution of tephritids in relation to temperature and rainfall. The study was conducted during 2 years at 11 sites on three islands (Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Mohéli) in the archipelago. The site elevations ranged from 55 to 885 m a.s.l. At each site, flies were collected weekly in eight traps (four different lures, each replicated twice). Fruit phenology was also recorded weekly. The dominant tephritid species detected was the invasive Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel followed by Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann. Tephritid species were generally more abundant during the hot and rainy seasons than during the cold and dry seasons. Bactrocera dorsalis numbers were higher on Grande Comore than on the two other islands. On Anjouan and Mohéli, B. dorsalis numbers were very low in 2014 but sharply increased in 2015, suggesting a recent invasion of these islands. Abundances were significantly related to the fruiting of mango, strawberry guava, and guava for B. dorsalis and to the fruiting of mango, guava, and mandarin for C. capitata. Bactrocera dorsalis was more abundant in hot and humid low-altitude areas, while C. capitata was more abundant in dry medium-altitude areas, suggesting the occurrence of climatic niche partitioning between the two species. (Résumé d'auteur

Records of frugivorous fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacini) from the Comoro Archipelago

This paper summarizes current knowledge of the occurrence of Dacini fruit flies in the Comoro archipelago of the Indian Ocean. Ten species are confirmed as occurring there: Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta & White, 2005, Dacus bivittatus (Bigot, 1858), D. ciliatus Loew, 1862, D. etiennellus Munro, 1984, D. punctatifrons Karsch, 1887, D. vertebratus Bezzi, 1908 (all Dacina), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824), C. malgassa Munro, 1939, Neoceratitis cyanescens (Bezzi, 1923), and Trirhithrum nigerrimum (Bezzi, 1913) (all Ceratitidina). Records of Bactrocera Cucurbitae (Coquillett, 1899) remain unconfirmed. The fauna of the Comoros is briefly compared to that of other islands in the western Indian Ocean. (Résumé d'auteur

Program plan recognition for year 2000 tools

There are many commercial tools that address various aspects of the Year 2000 problem. None of these tools, however, make any documented use of plan-based techniques for automated concept recovery. This implies a general perception that plan-based techniques is not useful for this problem. This paper argues that this perception is incorrect and these techniques are in fact mature enough to make a significant contribution. In particular, we show representative code fragments illustrating ``Year 2000'' problems, discuss the problems inherent in recognizing the higher level concepts these fragments implement using pattern-based and rule-based techniques, demonstrate that they can be represented in a programming plan framework, and present some initial experimental evidence that suggests that current algorithms can locate these plans in linear time. Finally, we discuss several ways to integrate plan-based techniques with existing Year 2000 tools

Host plant range of a fruit fly community (Diptera: Tephritidae): Does fruit composition influence larval performance?

Background: Phytophagous insects differ in their degree of specialisation on host plants, and range from strictly monophagous species that can develop on only one host plant to extremely polyphagous species that can develop on hundreds of plant species in many families. Nutritional compounds in host fruits affect several larval traits that may be related to adult fitness. In this study, we determined the relationship between fruit nutrient composition and the degree of host specialisation of seven of the eight tephritid species present in La Réunion; these species are known to have very different host ranges in natura. In the laboratory, larval survival, larval developmental time, and pupal weight were assessed on 22 fruit species occurring in La Réunion. In addition, data on fruit nutritional composition were obtained from existing databases. Results: For each tephritid, the three larval traits were significantly affected by fruit species and the effects of fruits on larval traits differed among tephritids. As expected, the polyphagous species Bactrocera zonata, Ceratitis catoirii, C. rosa, and C. capitata were able to survive on a larger range of fruits than the oligophagous species Zeugodacus cucurbitae, Dacus demmerezi, and Neoceratitis cyanescens. Pupal weight was positively correlated with larval survival and was negatively correlated with developmental time for polyphagous species. Canonical correspondence analysis of the relationship between fruit nutrient composition and tephritid survival showed that polyphagous species survived better than oligophagous ones in fruits containing higher concentrations of carbohydrate, fibre, and lipid. Conclusion: Nutrient composition of host fruit at least partly explains the suitability of host fruits for larvae. Completed with female preferences experiments these results will increase our understanding of factors affecting tephritid host range. (Résumé d'auteur