A Safe Haven or a Temporary Alternative Host? - The Displaced Mango Fruit Fly, Ceratitis cosyra in the African Peach Plant
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Ecological Laboratory
Abstract
Abstract
One of the difficulties in controlling fruit flies in cultivated crops is the use of alternative host plants as refugia
when the preferred hosts are not in season. This study was aimed at collecting fruits and vegetables in localities
across the five northern regions of Ghana (Northern, North-East, Savannah, Upper-East, and Upper-West
regions) to catalogue the diversity of fruit flies and their host plants. A total of 1,722 fruits from all localities
across the five regions were incubated, with 29.13% turning out to be fly-positive, yielding 1,141 individuals
in four genera (Bactrocera, Ceratitis, Dacus, and Zeugodacus) and four species (Bactrocera dorsalis
(Hendel), Ceratitis cosyra (Walker), Dacus bivittatus (Bigot), and Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillet)). The
African Peach plant, Nauclea latifolia, showed the highest incidence level of infestation, with the Mango
fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra as the dominant species, accounting for 97.19% (974) of the flies. The Oriental
fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis and the Melon fly, Zeugodacus curcurbitae accounted for 1.23% (14 each),
and Dacus bivittatus 0.35% (4). With evidence of displacement of C. cosyra from mango by the invasive
Bactrocera dorsalis in most African countries, our results point to a plant that has hitherto not been known to
be associated with fruit flies in Ghana for the displaced Mango fruit fly. Since information of previous fruit fly
records is scanty, especially in the northern parts of the country, it is not known whether the African Peach has
always been a host plant to C. cosyra, and served as a suitable alternative host during the long dry season, or
is pointing to the new home after its displacement by Bactrocera dorsalis. There is therefore the need for an
extended all-year-round collection to ascertain the host status and pattern of utilization of the African peach,
as well as confirm the suspected host shift and displacement status of C. cosyra.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Ceratitis cosyra, Bactrocera dorsalis, Displacement, Host shift, Alternative host, African peach, Nauclea latifolia