Mediterranean fruit fly

n.
A black and white two-winged fly (Ceratitis capitata) found in many warm regions of the world, the larvae of which destroy citrus and other fruit crops.

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Ceratitis capitata

FAMILY

Tephritidae

TAXONOMY

Trypeta capitata Wiedemann, 1824, East Indies (probably in error).

OTHER COMMON NAMES

None known.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Adults range from 0.14–0.2 in (3.5–5 mm) in length. The wings are semiopaque, broad, and patterned with yellow, and the eyes

are iridescent and multicolored. Males are distinguished by a pair of spatulate projections on the frons, and females by a prominent ovipositor. Larvae are white and cylindrical, with a narrowed anterior end and flattened caudal end, and reach 0.3–0.35 in (7–9 mm) in length. Pupae are cylindrical, approximately 0.12 in (3 mm) in length, and dark reddish brown.

DISTRIBUTION

Native to Africa. Within the last 100 years, has spread throughout most of the world, from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Jordan, Turkey, parts of Saudi Arabia and most countries along the North African coast as far away as the Americas, the Hawaiian islands, and Australia, mainly due to transportation of infested fruit. It was eradicated from Mexico using the Sterile Insect Technique, which has also been employed effectively in Guatemala, Chile, California, and Florida.

HABITAT

Found wherever appropriate host trees (including citrus, peach, and guava, among many others) grow.

BEHAVIOR

Adults can fly only short distances, but winds may carry them a mile or more away.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Larvae feed within the flesh of fruits where eggs are laid, and adults on exposed sweet substances such as fruit, honeydew, or plant sap.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Eggs are laid beneath the skin of a suitable fruit in batches of 1–10. Females will lay approximately 300 or more eggs during their lifetime; these hatch into first-instar larvae after 2–3 days. The larvae live and feed within the host fruit, undergoing two molts in 6–10 days. When ready to pupate, the third-instar larvae emerge from the fruit and drop to the ground, where they pupate in soil 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm) below the surface. The adults emerge from the pupa approximately 10 days later. They exhibit a "lek" mating system, in which males settle nonrandomly on particular host or nonhost trees and defend individual leaves as mating territories. While on territory, males emit a pheromone attractive to females and, following female arrival, perform a brief courtship display involving wing and head movements before mounting the female.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

The mediterranean fruit fly is a major agricultural pest in temperate and subtropical regions worldwide, attacking over 200 varieties of cultivated fruit crops.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: small black-and-white fly that damages citrus and other fruits by implanting eggs that hatch inside the fruit
  Synonyms: medfly, Ceratitis capitata

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