First record of Dacus (Lophodacus) hamatus (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Cameroon, with emphasis on a new host plant Lagenaria siceraria (Cucurbitaceae)

Abstract

In Cameroon, fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) represent a major constraint to fruit production in cucurbits. They are known to feed essentially on fruits, but some species are flower specialists. The present study aims to assess the oviposition preference of fruit flies on seven species of cucurbits along with two varieties (bitter and sweet) of Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley at two locations namely Yaounde and Koutaba (Cameroon). The infested flowers and fruits were collected, examined and incubated individually under laboratory conditions. Dacus (Lophodacus) hamatus Bezzi (Diptera: Tephritidae) was recorded for the first time, from the male flowers of L. siceraria. Under field conditions, the females laid their eggs only on male flowers of both varieties of L. siceraria and no adult was obtained from their fruits and from both flowers and fruits of other six cucurbit species in this study. However, under laboratory conditions, larvae were able to develop on flowers and fruits of all cucurbits used in present investigation. The infestation rate and the mean number of larvae per male flower were significantly greater on the bitter variety than on the sweet of L. siceraria, suggesting specificity in the feeding preference of D. hamatus. This fly affects considerable the yield of L. siceraria at both the studied locations viz. Yaounde and Koutaba with mean infestation rates of 52.36 ± 5.72% and 57.63 ± 3.41%, respectively on male flowers of L. siceraria.

Tephritid Fruit Fly Species Composition, Seasonality, and Fruit Infestations in Two Central African Agro-Ecological Zones

“…Central Africa further includes the five key agro-ecologies encountered across the African continent, from desert and arid agro-ecologies to dense high-rainfall and humid forest zones [33]. Preliminary information from fruit collections in Cameroon revealed the presence of several species including B. dorsalis, Ceratitis cosyra (Walker), Ceratitis anonae (Graham), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Ceratitis quinaria (Bezzi), Dacus punctatifrons Karschand Dacus bivittatus (Bigot) [13,[34][35][36][37] Continuing to be scarce, however, is multi-year quantitative information on fruit fly's species composition and their seasonal dynamics, host utilization, and fruit infestation levels, particularly from the principal commercial fruit species mango and guava, and the performance of different monitoring tools in mid-altitude humid and high rainfall agro-ecologies from Central Africa.…”

Diversity and species composition of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Lombok Island, Indonesia

“…Host specificity is likely to vary depending on the resource that particular species are utilizing (Grimbacher et al 2014). The microclimate and the host plant architecture significantly influence the abundance and behavior of phytophagous insects (Mokam et al 2014).…”

“…There is a relationship between host plants in the habitat and the diversity of fruit flies. In the subfamily Dacinae, the relationship between host plants and flies is thought to be particularly strong since the host plant is considered central for larval and adult feeding, mating, and oviposition (Mokam et al 2014).…”