A new Bactrocera species in Benin among mango fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) species.
Vayssières J. F., Goergen G., Lokossou O., Dossa P., Akponon C.
Author Affiliation: IITA, Biological Control Center for Africa, 08 BP 0932, Cotonou, Benin.
Fruits (Paris) 60 : 371-377
Abstract : Fluctuations in tephritid populations in mango orchards in Parakou region, Benin, and the levels of mango fruit fly infestations and mango losses due to tephritid species were studied. Fruit fly males were captured in 2 orchards using parapheromone traps. To sample and characterize fruit fly species involved in mango infestations, fruits of 17 cultivars were collected in mango orchards from February to June 2005, and insect species that emerged from fruits were identified. To evaluate fruit loss, sampling of different mango cultivars was conducted in the same orchards. Among the 8 mango fruit fly species found in Benin, 4 can be considered as species of economic significance: Ceratitis cosyra, C. quinaria, C. silvestrii and Bactrocera invadens. During the dry season, C. cosyra was the most abundant, whereas B. invadens was the most numerous during the rainy season (abiotic factor), which in phenological accordance with the ripening of the different mango cultivars (biotic factor). From mid-May onwards, B. invadens was found more frequently than C. cosyra in traps and from infested mangos. The average fruit loss varied from 12% at the beginning of April to 50% in June. B. invadens is reported as new to Berlin.