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Submitted to: Manual of Central American Diptera
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 7/19/2005 Publication Date: 11/15/2010 Citation: Norrbom, A.L. 2010. Tephritidae (fruit flies, moscas de frutas). Manual of Central American Diptera. 909-954. Interpretive Summary: Fruit flies include some of the most important pests of fruits and vegetables, annually causing billions of dollars in losses worldwide. In Central and South America, the Mexican, West Indian, Caribbean, South American, and papaya fruit flies are the most serious pests. Other neotropical species, however, have been used as beneficial biological control agents for weeds in Hawaii, Australia, and other countries. To improve the accuracy and speed of the identification process a new identification key was developed for the main groups of fruit flies present in Central and South America. A summary of the distribution, number of species, and key references for each taxon is also provided. This information will be useful to APHIS-PPQ and other regulatory agencies responsible for quarantines to prevent the spread of pest fruit flies and for detecting new pest introductions into the U.S. Technical Abstract: A diagnosis, key to genera, review of biology and classification, and summary of the Neotropical fauna of the family Tephritidae are provided. Sixty-eight genera and 765 species have been recorded from the Neotropical Region, and at least 59 genera and 466 species, many of which are undescribed, are known from Mexico (including Nearctic areas) and Central America. |
