Authors: Peck, Steven L.; McQuate, Grant T.

Source: Environmental Entomology, Volume 33, Number 6, December 2004 , pp. 1722-1731(10)

Publisher: Entomological Society of America

Abstract:

Bactrocera latifrons is a tephritid fruit fly that invaded the Hawaiian Islands in 1983 and has since spread throughout the island chain. Its invasion was facilitated by the invasion of two previous nonendemic species of solanaceous plants: Solanum torvum and Solanum linnaeanum. This study explored three aspects of B. latirfrons biology: (1) the short-term temporal patterns of wild flies were examined in invasive populations of S. torvum; (2) B. latifrons' host preference for two principal wild hosts, S. torvum and S. linnaeanum; and (3) the movement of B. latifrons among host patches of established populations of S. torvum in Iao Valley, Maui, HI. For the third objective, we conducted a mark-release-recapture study using flies dyed with a phosphorescing marker and flies marked with a vertebrate protein. The laboratory studies suggest the flies prefer ovipositing in S. linnaeanum to S. torvum and that survival in S. linnaeanum is higher than in S. torvum. Trap catches in the dispersal study did not exceed 200 m during the 6-wk course of the study, suggesting that dispersal rates are similar to those seen in other tephritid fruit fly species.

Keywords: dispersal; metapopulation biology; Solanum torvum; Solanum linnaeanum; oviposition preference

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2004-12-01

More about this publication?

• Environmental Entomology is published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October, and December. The journal publishes reports on the interaction of insects with the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of their environment and is divided into the following sections: physiological ecology; chemical ecology; population ecology; quantitative ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; biological control­-parasitoids and predators; biological control--microbials; biological control--weeds; behavior; pest management; sampling; plant-insect interactions; molecular ecology and evolution; transgenic plants and insects. In addition to research papers, Environmental Entomology publishes Letters to the Editor, interpretive articles in a Forum section, and Book Reviews.
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