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Insects
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Biology and Management of Tephritid Fruit Flies
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Biology and Management of Tephritid Fruit Flies

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 5949

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Wee L. Yee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research Unit, 5230 Konnowac Pass Road, Wapato, WA 98951, USA
Interests: Rhagoletis fruit flies; fly behavior; fly ecology; fly evolution; fly control and management; post-harvest control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tephritid fruit flies comprise some of the most serious and economically important insect pests of fruit commodities worldwide, as well as insects that have contributed greatly to our understanding of basic biology and evolutionary processes. Of the approximately 5000 or so species of Tephritidae, roughly 250 are of economic importance, directly by damaging fruit or by being quarantine pests and impeding fruit exports. Genera of major importance in tropical/subtropical regions are Ceratitis, Bactrocera, and Anastrepha, while in temperate regions the genus Rhagoletis is of major quarantine importance, with additional genera (Dacus, Capparimyia, Carpomya, Dirioxa, Euphranta, Monacrostichus, Neoceratitis, Trirhithrum, and Zonosemata) also considered to be of pest or quarantine relevance in both regions. Due to their importance, a huge amount of valuable literature has accumulated on tephritid fruit flies, but new research constantly reveals new information on these insects that can be used for novel control strategies and to reduce trade barriers, as well as for better understanding fly taxonomy, physiology, behavior, ecology, genetics, and evolution. In this Special Issue, new research on tephritid fruit flies is presented in the hopes that it will be useful for further understanding the biology of these important insects and how to reduce their negative impact on agriculture.

Dr. Wee L. Yee
Guest Editor

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Tephritidae
  • Ceratitis
  • Bactrocera
  • Anastrepha
  • Rhagoletis
  • taxonomy
  • behavior
  • ecology
  • control
  • quarantines

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 651 KiB  
Communication
A Pre-Exposure to Male-Specific Compound γ-Hexalactone Reduces Oviposition in Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae) Under Laboratory Conditions
by Sergio López, Clàudia Corbella-Martorell, Elisa Tarantino and Carmen Quero
Insects 2025, 16(2), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16020147 - 1 Feb 2025
Viewed by 667
Abstract
The olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is regarded as the most harmful pest insect for olive trees worldwide. In order to control olive fruit fly populations and mitigate the damage and economic losses they produce, the development of novel strategies [...] Read more.
The olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is regarded as the most harmful pest insect for olive trees worldwide. In order to control olive fruit fly populations and mitigate the damage and economic losses they produce, the development of novel strategies to control the olive fruit fly within an integrated pest management scope has become a major concern. Here we show that a 24-h pre-exposure to the male-specific γ-hexalactone significantly reduces the oviposition on an artificial substrate. The number of eggs per female laid by those females pre-exposed to 1 mg of γ-hexalactone was significantly reduced (6.8 ± 6.1 eggs/female) in comparison to naïve (i.e., non-exposed) females (22.4 ± 10.9 eggs/female), yielding a mean oviposition activity index (OAI) of −0.56 ± 0.22. Contrarily, no significant effect was observed when females were pre-exposed to 0.5 mg of compound, even though the number of eggs per female (14.2 ± 6.3) was lower than that of naïve females, resulting in a mean OIA of −0.24 ± 0.17. Overall, this research represents a preliminary basis for delving into the potential of γ-hexalactone for being used as an oviposition disruptant, albeit further research is still required to address this issue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Management of Tephritid Fruit Flies)
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12 pages, 1566 KiB  
Article
Revisiting the History and Biogeography of Bactrocera oleae and Other Olive-Feeding Fruit Flies in Africa and Asia
by Luis Teixeira da Costa, Marie-Claude Bon and Barbara van Asch
Insects 2025, 16(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16010030 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 884
Abstract
Bactrocera oleae Rossi causes important agricultural losses in olive growing regions. Despite its economic relevance, the expansion history and biogeography of B. oleae and other olive-feeding fruit flies remain unclear. We used mitogenomic data of Bactrocera species from a broad geographic range to [...] Read more.
Bactrocera oleae Rossi causes important agricultural losses in olive growing regions. Despite its economic relevance, the expansion history and biogeography of B. oleae and other olive-feeding fruit flies remain unclear. We used mitogenomic data of Bactrocera species from a broad geographic range to explore possible historical biogeographic patterns in B. oleae and other olive-feeding fruit flies. Our data suggest that (1) the transition from stenophagy on Oleaceae to oligophagy on Olea most likely occurred in Africa more than 6 million years ago (MYA), and (2) the subsequent transition to monophagy on Olea europaea took place in Asia or in Africa in the Early Pleistocene. Our results support equally the hypotheses that the ancestors of modern B. oleae underwent two waves of migration from Asia to Africa or that they zigzagged between Asia and Africa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Management of Tephritid Fruit Flies)
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14 pages, 2543 KiB  
Article
Phylogeography of the Invasive Fruit Fly Species Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock (Diptera: Tephritidae) in South America
by Ezequiel de Deus, Joseane Passos, Alies van Sauers-Muller, Cristiane Jesus, Janisete Gomes Silva and Ricardo Adaime
Insects 2024, 15(12), 949; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15120949 - 30 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1073
Abstract
The carambola fruit fly, Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock, is native to Southeast Asia, infests about 150 plant species, and is considered a quarantine pest insect in several regions of the world. Bactrocera carambolae has invaded Suriname, French Guyana, and northern Brazil. In Brazil, it [...] Read more.
The carambola fruit fly, Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock, is native to Southeast Asia, infests about 150 plant species, and is considered a quarantine pest insect in several regions of the world. Bactrocera carambolae has invaded Suriname, French Guyana, and northern Brazil. In Brazil, it was first recorded in 1996 and has been restricted to the states of Amapá and Roraima due to official control efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Supply (Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária—MAPA). This is the first study to estimate the genetic structure and diversity of South American populations of B. carambolae. A total of 116 individuals from 11 localities in Brazil and 7 localities in Suriname were analyzed. Additional sequences available at GenBank from Indonesia (Lampung) and Thailand (San Pa Tong and Muang District) were also used in the analysis. We sequenced a fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I. A total of 35 haplotypes were found. Haplotypes from Indonesia were closest to the haplotypes from South America, separated only by a few mutational steps. This suggests that Indonesia is the likely source for the introduction of B. carambolae into South America. The Southeast Asian populations appeared as the most ancestral group in the phylogenetic trees. The high similarity and sharing of several haplotypes among populations within South America indicate a lack of genetic structure. The mismatch distribution and neutrality tests suggest that South American populations have undergone a rapid growth and expansion following a single founder event. The low genetic diversity and the population expansion evidenced by the neutrality tests lend support to the hypothesis of a recent introduction of a single lineage of the carambola fruit fly into South America. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Management of Tephritid Fruit Flies)
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9 pages, 658 KiB  
Article
Temperature-Dependent Pupation Depth in the Oriental Fruit Fly Bactrocera dorsalis and Its Implications for Biological Control
by Mu-Rung Lin and Toshinori Okuyama
Insects 2024, 15(11), 873; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15110873 - 6 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1218
Abstract
The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a notable agricultural pest that undergoes pupation in the soil. Mortality risk from predation and parasitism decreases as the depth of the pupal location increases from the ground surface, with a one-centimetre increase [...] Read more.
The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a notable agricultural pest that undergoes pupation in the soil. Mortality risk from predation and parasitism decreases as the depth of the pupal location increases from the ground surface, with a one-centimetre increase in depth causing a significant change. Soil properties, such as moisture and hardness, influence pupation depth, but the effect of temperature has not been fully tested. This laboratory study examined whether a biologically important variation in pupation depth (e.g., one centimetre) is caused by naturally experienced temperature variations (20 to 35 °C) in B. dorsalis. The temperature–pupation depth relationship revealed a unimodal pattern, with the deepest pupation occurring at intermediate temperature levels and shallower pupation at the two extreme temperature ranges. Strong quantitative effects were observed, with the highest mean pupation depth of 40.8 mm at 27.5 °C and the lowest mean pupation depth of 15 mm at 35 °C. The observed quantitative effect suggests that temperature can strongly affect pupal mortality from predators and parasitoids by influencing pupation depth. Future studies that reveal the ability of biological control agents to forage underground for pupae at different temperatures are awaited, as this is key information for evaluating the effectiveness of these agents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Management of Tephritid Fruit Flies)
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15 pages, 7138 KiB  
Article
Predicting the Distribution of Neoceratitis asiatica (Diptera: Tephritidae), a Primary Pest of Goji Berry in China, under Climate Change
by Zhongkang Song, Guanghui Fan, Changrong Deng, Guozhen Duan and Jianling Li
Insects 2024, 15(8), 558; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15080558 - 23 Jul 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1301
Abstract
Climate warming affects the growth and development of pests, resulting in changes in their geographical distribution, which increases the difficulty in terms of prevention and control. The fruit fly, Neoceratitis asiatica (Becker), is a predominant frugivorous pest that causes serious yield loss in [...] Read more.
Climate warming affects the growth and development of pests, resulting in changes in their geographical distribution, which increases the difficulty in terms of prevention and control. The fruit fly, Neoceratitis asiatica (Becker), is a predominant frugivorous pest that causes serious yield loss in the goji berry, Lycium barbarum L. In recent years, with the expansion of cultivation area, the damage induced by the pest has become increasingly severe, significantly impeding the production of the goji berry. In this study, the potential suitable habitats of N. asiatica under current and future climate scenarios were simulated and predicted using the optimal MaxEnt model, based on the screening distribution records and environmental factors. The changes in the pest distribution under climate change were determined using ArcGIS. The results showed that the best combination of parameters for MaxEnt were feature combination (FC) = LQPT and regularization multiplier (RM) = 1. The dominant environmental factors influencing pest distribution were mean temperature of driest quarter, mean temperature of coldest quarter and precipitation of coldest quarter. Under different climate conditions, the suitable habitats of the pest primarily ranged between 27°–47° N and 73°–115° E. Under current climate conditions, the area of moderately and highly suitable habitats was 42.18 × 104 km2, and mainly distributed in Inner Mongolia (13.68 × 104 km2), Gansu (9.40 × 104 km2), Ningxia (5.07 × 104 km2), Qinghai (4.10 × 104 km2), and Xinjiang (3.97 × 104 km2) Provinces. Under future climate scenarios, the suitable area was projected to be lower than the current ones, except SSP245–2050s and SSP370–2070s, and the centroids of suitable habitats were mainly shifted to the northeast, except SSP370–2050s and SSP585–2070s. Our results provide valuable guidance for the monitoring and management of N. asiatica, as well as the selection of pest-free goji berry cultivation sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Management of Tephritid Fruit Flies)
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