New host plant and distribution records of Anastrepha species (Diptera: Tephritidae) primarily from the western Amazon

Authors: RODRIGUEZ, E. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services; Norrbom, Allen; STECK, G. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services; RUIZ-ARCE, RAUL - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services; WIEGMANN, BRIAN - North Carolina State University; NOLAZCO AGRARIA, NORMA - La Molina National Agrarian University; MULLER, ALIES - Research Institute For Animal Husbandry; KEIL, CLIFFORD - Pontificial Catholic University Of Ecuador; QUISBERTH, E - Autonomous Government Of Department Of Santa Cruz; BRANHAM, MARC - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2023
Publication Date: 11/20/2023
Citation: Rodriguez, E.J., Norrbom, A.L., Steck, G.J., Ruiz-Arce, R., Wiegmann, B., Nolazco Agraria, N., Muller, A., Keil, C.B., Quisberth, E., Branham, M. 2023. New host plant and distribution records of Anastrepha species (Diptera: Tephritidae) primarily from the western Amazon. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 125 (1):89-164. https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.125.1.89.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.125.1.89

Interpretive Summary: True fruit flies are among the most agriculturally important groups of insects, including numerous generalist and specialist pests of a wide variety of commercial crops, such as citrus, apple and mango. The largest group of fruit flies in Central and South Americal comprises more than 300 species. The host plants and larval feeding mode within the fruit (on seeds vs pulp) are unknown for the majority. This paper reports new host plant and distribution records for 40 of these species and documents the larval feeding mode. Trends in host plant relationships and feeding mode across the whole group are also summarized. This information will be useful to scientists studying the group as well as to APHIS-PPQ and other regulatory agencies trying to prevent the spread of the pests.

Technical Abstract: We report the results of long-term collecting efforts conducted mainly in the western Amazon region of Peru, and also in Bolivia, Ecuador, Suriname, French Guiana, and Panama. Host plant and distribution records are documented for 55 plant species associated with 40 Anastrepha species belonging to 15 species groups or unassigned to a group. To contribute to a better understanding of the biology of Anastrepha, facilitate phylogenetic analysis, and develop identification tools for the genus, we document new host records or provide detail for records recently reported in the literature with limited information and also describe the larval feeding modes within the fruit. We provide a synopsis of native host plants by Anastrepha species groups to compare the range of host plants within these groups. We report 25 plant species as hosts for the first time for 22 Anastrepha species, as well as new distribution records for 18 Anastrepha species. We provide photographs of the fruit injury caused by larvae of 31 Anastrepha species. We report two larval feeding modes: 23 species are pulp feeders in 21 native and four exotic host plants, 11 species are seed feeders in 12 native host plants, and four species feed on both pulp and seeds of three native host plants. We report the first host plant record, two species of Sapotaceae, for the speciosa group, which is among the most basal clades of Anastrepha. We present and discuss our results in evolutionary terms following the most recently inferred Anastrepha phylogeny.