Author
|
Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2001 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Fruit flies (Tephritidae) are a large family of agriculturally important insects. Of the more than 4,300 species known worldwide, about 100 are considered serious pests of fruits and vegetables, whereas other species are considered beneficial as weed biocontrol agents, including 10 species released in North America for this purpose. This paper concerns the genus Zonosemata, which includes the pepper maggot, a pest of pepper and eggplant. A very similar new species from Costa Rica is here described and illustrated, to prevent its confusion with the pepper maggot. New distribution, diagnostic, and host information for other species of Zonosemata are also reported. One species has been collected on Solanum lanceolatum, an introduced weed in California, and could be a potential control agent for this plant. This information will be useful for the regulation and control of pest species of fruit flies and possibly to biological control programs. Technical Abstract: New taxonomic, host, and distribution data for species of Zonosemata are presented. One new species, Z. guybushi reared from fruit of Solanum lanceifolium in Costa Rica, is described, and a revised key to the eight known species of this genus is provided. A neotype is designated for Z. electa. |
