The oviposition preference of the oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis.
Liu Y. C., Huang L. H.
Author Affiliation: Research Institute of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Chinese Journal of Entomology 10 : 159-168
Abstract : The oviposition preference of the tephritid Dacus dorsalis [Bactrocera dorsalis] was determined in the laboratory on guava, mango, Citrus, banana and wax apple [Eugenia malaccensis]. Guava and Citrus were the preferred fruits for oviposition with 57.33 and 52.09 eggs/female, resp., deposited within 15 days. Only 19.79 eggs were collected from E. malaccensis over the same period. Females were always attracted to wounds on fruit caused by the ovipositor of females, or wounds produced artificially. More females preferred to oviposit on artificially wounded fruits (on which more visits were made) and especially on wounds 2 h and 2 days old. Females were still attracted to, and oviposited on, ovipositor-wounded fruit in preference to unwounded fruit, particularly when the wound was less than 2 h old. Oviposition did not occur when the fruit was already occupied by large numbers of larvae. Damage caused by larvae was greater and larval survival more likely when the ripeness of guava, mango and Citrus fruits increased.