Host plants of Carambola fruit fly, Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock(Diptera:Tephritidae);and provisional list of suitable host plants of Carambola fruit fly,(Bactrocera(Bactrocera) carambolae Drew & Hancock(Diptera:Tep

Authors: Liquido, Nicanor; McQuate, Grant; NAKAMICHI, KELLY - North Carolina State University; Kurashima, Rick; BIRNBAUM, AMANDA - North Carolina State University; HANLIN, MEGAN - North Carolina State University

Submitted to: USDA CPHST Online Database
Publication Type: Literature Review
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/12/2016
Publication Date: 9/12/2016
Citation: Liquido, N.J., Mcquate, G.T., Nakamichi, K., Kurashima, R.S., Birnbaum, A.L., Hanlin, M.A. 2016. Host plants of Carambola fruit fly, Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock(Diptera:Tephritidae);and provisional list of suitable host plants of Carambola fruit fly,(Bactrocera(Bactrocera) carambolae Drew & Hancock(Diptera:Tep. USDA CPHST Online Database. Available: https://coffhi.cphst.org/.

Interpretive Summary: The carambola fruit fly, the scientific name of which is Bactrocera carambolae, is native to Southeast Asia, but has extended its geographic range to several countries in South America. The documented introductions into countries outside its native distribution show that this species could establish in countries where it does not presently occur, particularly through the movement of infested fruit. As with other tephritid fruit fly species, establishment of the carambola fruit fly in areas where it had not previously existed could have significant economic consequences, including damage and loss of food production, as well as requirements for implementation of costly quarantine treatments to permit export of commodities susceptible to infestation by the carambola fruit fly and inspection of susceptible imported commodities. In order to avoid these adverse economic consequences, one needs to prevent the entry, establishment and spread of the carambola fruit fly into a new habitat. To successfully achieve this, an accurate knowledge of the fly’s host plants is essential. Cognizant of this need, we prepared, and present here, an overview of host plants with confirmed infestation records under natural field conditions as well as plant species with “undetermined host status.” A total of 101 plant taxa, belonging to 58 genera in 38 plant families, were identified as hosts of the carambola fruit fly, based on validated infestations under natural field conditions. A total of 40 plant taxa, belonging to 29 genera in 16 plant families were identified as having “undetermined host status” for the carambola fruit fly. The “undetermined host status” category for the carambola fruit fly lists plant species for which there is no record of infestation under natural field conditions but host status has been suggested based on the results of infestation studies conducted in the laboratory, on published reports without any accompanying verifiable data, or both. The predominant host plant families for which there are confirmed infestation records by the carambola fruit fly under natural field conditions are the citrus family (Rutaceae - 13 host plant taxa), the myrtle family (Myrtaceae - 12) and the fig family (Moraceae - 11). This document is the first USDA list of host plants of the carambola fruit fly. Our summary will permit quarantine regulatory officials to better assess the risk of introduction of the carambola fruit fly in imported or exported fruits and vegetables.

Technical Abstract: Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock (Diptera: Tephritidae), commonly known as the carambola fruit fly, is native to Southeast Asia, but has extended its geographic range to several countries in South America. As with other tephritid fruit fly species, establishment of B.carambolae in areas where it had not previously existed can have significant economic consequences, including damage and loss of food production, as well as required inspection of imported susceptible commodities and requirements for implementation of costly quarantine treatments to permit export of commodities susceptible to infestation by B.carambolae. We present here an overview of all host plants of B.carambolae with confirmed infestation records under natural field conditions, as reported in worldwide literature. Also presented are lists of host plants with confirmed infestation records under natural field conditions and plant species with “undetermined host status.” A total of 101 plant taxa, belonging to 58 genera in 38 plant families, were identified as hosts of B.carambolae, based on validated infestations under natural field conditions. A total of 40 plant taxa, belonging to 29 genera in 16 plant families were identified as having “undetermined host status” for B.carambolae. The “undetermined host status” category for B.carambolae lists plant species for which there is no record of infestation by B.carambolae under natural field conditions but host status has been suggested based on the results of infestation studies conducted in the laboratory, on published reports without any accompanying verifiable data, or both. The predominant host plant families for which there are confirmed infestation records under natural field conditions are Rutaceae(13 host plant taxa), Myrtaceae(12) and Moraceae(11). This document is the first USDA list of host plants of B.carambolae. Our summary will permit quarantine regulatory officials to better assess the risk of introduction of B.carambolae in imported or exported fruits and vegetables.