Ovipositional Behaviour of Two Fruit Flies, Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha fraterculus, in Seven Fruit Hosts in the Laboratory

Abstract

Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) are the most commonly found fruit fly species in fruit crops in Brazil. Both polyphagous species show similar host ranges, but specific knowledge regarding the ovipositional preference of either species is scarce. The present study aims to evaluate, in the laboratory, ovipositional behaviours in seven fruit host submitted to infestation by A. fraterculus and C. capitata. Except for C. capitata in Tahiti acid lime, the number of punctures containing eggs exceeded the number of punctures without eggs. The highest values for eggs per puncture were obtained in Fuyu persimmon, for which averages of 4.06 and 50.09 eggs per puncture were deposited by A. fraterculus and C. capitata, respectively. For A. fraterculus, the infestation ranking, based on the number of eggs per puncture from high to low, was Fuyu persimmon > papaya > Tahiti acid lime > carambola > coffee > guava > sweet orange. For C. capitata, the infestation ranking was Fuyu persimmon > carambola > papaya > guava > sweet orange > coffee > Tahiti acid lime. All punctures made to carambola and papaya contained eggs. Sweet orange exhibited the maximum number of punctures of A. fraterculus without egg deposition. The first day of medfly oviposition in Fuyu persimmon resulted in approximately three-fold more eggs per puncture than the second, third, and fourth days.