The peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata: a major threat for Mediterranean fruit crops?
Delrio G., Cocco A.
Author Affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
: 557-566
Abstract : The peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders), is one of the most harmful species of Tephritidae. It is a polyphagous species attacking more than 40 species of fruit crops and has also been recorded from wild host plants. The peach fruit fly is a serious pest of peach, guava and mango; secondary hosts include apricot, fig and citrus. It causes serious economic losses, either by direct damage to fruits or indirectly by warranting quarantine and phytosanitary measures. Bactrocera zonata is native from India and is present in numerous tropical countries of Asia. However, this pest has established in Egypt since the late 1990s and is now widespread throughout the country. Therefore, it demonstrated its ability to establish outside tropical climates and its adaptability to temperate conditions. In Egypt, B. zonata develops throughout the year when temperatures exceed 12°C and can complete several generations per year, apparently overwintering also in temperate climates. Bactrocera zonata is well adapted to hot climates and shows higher low-temperature thresholds than those of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), which is widespread in the Mediterranean countries. Pest risk analysis suggests that the peach fruit fly is able to enter, establish and spread in coastal areas of the Mediterranean region, causing significant damage on fruit production.