Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/17/2018
Publication Date: 5/1/2018
Citation: Mcquate, G.T., Royer, J.E., Sylva, C.D. 2018. Field trappping Bactrocera latifrons (Diptera: Tephritidae) with select eugenol analogs that have been found to attract other "nonresponsive" fruit fly species. Insects. 9(2):50.

Interpretive Summary: Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is an economically important fruit fly species native to Oriental Asia. It has invaded and established in Hawaii and Tanzania and has been recovered in detection trapping in California. Bactrocera latifrons is considered “non-responsive” to the male lures cuelure and methyl eugenol, though has a very weak response to the latter. An alternative male lure, alpha-ionol, was identified as an effective attractant for this species, with attraction later found to be synergistically enhanced by the addition of cade oil. However, alpha-ionol + cade oil is not as attractive as cuelure or methyl eugenol are to other fruit fly species and consequently there is a need to develop an improved attractant for B.latifrons, preferably one which would attract multiple pest tephritid fruit fly species. With the recent success in finding some non-responsive fruit fly species attracted to isoeugenol, methyl isoeugenol, and/or dihydroeugenol in Australia and Papua New Guinea, we wanted to assess whether B.latifrons might also respond to one or more of these “eugenol analogs.” Working with a wild B.latifrons population in Hawaii in a cattle pasture with extensive patches of fruiting turkeyberry (Solanum torvum) plants, we tested the relative catch of B.latifrons in traps baited with the eugenol analogs compared to traps baited with alpha-ionol, alpha-ionol + cade oil, or alpha-ionol + eugenol. Bactrocera latifrons catch was significantly higher in traps baited with alpha-ionol + cade oil relative to traps with any of the other baits. There was, though, some B.latifrons catch in traps baited with dihydroeugenol or isoeugenol but no male B.latifrons were caught in any traps baited with methyl isoeugenol throughout the entire test. The results from this study, along with earlier work, show that alpha-ionol and cade oil continues to be the best attractant for B.latifrons.

Technical Abstract: Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a pest fruit fly species native to Oriental Asia which has invaded and established in Hawaii and Tanzania and has been recovered in detection trapping in California. It is largely non-responsive to the male lures cuelure and methyl eugenol. Alpha-ionol + cade oil is a moderately effective male B.latifrons attractant, but is not as attractive as cuelure or methyl eugenol are to other fruit fly species. An improved attractant is desired. With the recent success in finding other non-responsive fruit fly species attracted to isoeugenol, methyl isoeugenol, or dihydroeugenol in Australia and other countries, we wanted to assess whether B.latifrons might also respond to these “eugenol analogs.”Working with wild B.latifrons populations in Hawaii, we assessed the relative catch of B.latifrons in traps baited with the eugenol analogs with catch in traps baited with alpha-ionol, alpha-ionol + cade oil, or alpha-ionol + eugenol. Catch was significantly higher in traps baited with alpha-ionol + cade oil relative to traps with any of the other baits. There was, though, some male B.latifrons catch in traps baited with dihydroeugenol or isoeugenol but none in traps baited with methyl isoeugenol.