Author
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McQuate, Grant |
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Submitted to: Hawaiian Entomological Society Proceedings
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 2/11/2008 Publication Date: 2/11/2008 Citation: Mcquate, G.T. 2008. Solanum torvum (Solanaceae), a new host of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii. Hawaiian Entomological Society Proceedings. 2008. 40: 71-75. Interpretive Summary: Mediterranean fruit fly is an economically important pest attacking a broad range of fruits and vegetables. Because of this, strict regulatory procedures are currently being enforced to prevent its further spread around the world. A knowledge of the host plants of the Mediterranean fruit fly is necessary to facilitate effective regulatory procedures and thereby prevent establishment in new areas. Although over 300 plant species are known to be hosts of the Mediterranean fruit fly, turkeyberry, Solanum torvum, had not previously been included in this list. This paper, thus, contributes to the documentation of the host range of Mediterranean fruit fly. Because there have been shipments intercepted by APHIS that have included turkeyberry, it is important to know the potential tephritid fruit fly infestation in these fruits. Although documentation of the host range of Mediterranean fruit fly has had more attention than host ranges of other exotic tephritid fruit fly species in Hawaii, knowledge of infestation levels of turkeyberry by oriental fruit fly and by Bactrocera latifrons, also presented in this paper, are also of quarantine significance. Inclusion of turkeyberry in the host lists of these other fruit fly species has, however, been previously documented elsewhere. Finally, this paper documents the spread of turkeyberry in Hawaii, which is of significance because it is a wild host of three exotic tephritidae fruit fly species of economic importance and thus will contribute to wild populations of these fruit fly species over increasing areas in Hawaii. Technical Abstract: In Hawaii, Mediterranean fruit fly populations at low elevations have been displaced to higher elevation hosts by oriental fruit fly. That displacement, however, is not complete, as C. capitata coexists with B. dorsalis at a number of low elevation sites. Turkeyberry, Solanum torvum Sw, is a lower elevation noxious weed that has been spreading in Hawaii. Tephritid fruit fly infestation of this plant is predominantly by Bactrocera latifrons, but oriental fruit fly, B. dorsalis, and, reported here for the first time, Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, can also coexist with B. latifrons. If S. torvum continues to spread in Hawaii, it will continue to be a potential low elevation wild host for C. capitata as well as for B. dorsalis and B. latifrons. |
