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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Miami, Florida » Subtropical Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #163371
Title: EFFECT OF ELEVATION AMD HOST AVAILABILITY ON DISTRIBUTION OF STERILE AND WILD MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLIES.

Author
item Puche, Helena
item MIDGARDEN, DAVID - USDA/APHIS/BIO SCI
item Kendra, Paul
item RENDON, PEDRO - USDA/APHIS/BIO SCI
item Epsky, Nancy
item OVALLE, OSCAR - USDA/APHIS/BIO SCI
item Heath, Robert

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/16/2004
Publication Date: 5/16/2004
Citation: Puche, H., Midgarden, D., Kendra, P.E., Rendon, P., Epsky, N.D., Ovalle, O., Heath, R.R. 2004. Effect of Elevation amd Host Availability on Distribution of Sterile and Wild Mediterranean Fruit Flies.. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary: See abstract only

Technical Abstract: Effects of elevation and host fruit availability on the distribution of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), were evaluated using cylindrical traps. Tests were conducted in the Santa María valley, Guatemala during a sterile male release program. Traps were placed in or near host trees (primarily coffee & citrus) and in non-host shade trees when no hosts were available. Trap locations were grouped according to elevation every 170 m. Elevation range midpoints were 1103, 1273, 1443, and 1613 m above sea level. The spatial distributions of sterile males, wild males and females were clumped throughout the 13 wk of sampling. More wild female flies were captured in coffee in the 1273 m elevation and on non-host shade trees in the 1103 m elevation. The number of wild males was directly related to the number of wild females captured, and the sex ratio (female: male) was highest at the 1443 and 1613 m elevation ranges. The number of sterile males was not correlated to the number of wild females captured at any elevation. At all elevation ranges, an inverse relationship was observed between the numbers of wild females and males with the mean numbers of sterile males / trap. Wild C. capitata populations appeared to decrease when 40 sterile males were captured per trap with wild females per week. The results indicated that coffee is a preferred host plant, and that, during the sampling period, C. capitata were more abundant at the 1273 elevation range than at other elevations