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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #339940
Research Project: Systematics of Flies of Importance in Agroecosystems and the Environment

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: New records of Rhagoletis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Colombia, with discussion on the morphological variations of some species

Author
item MARTINEZ-ALVA, JAVIER - National University Of Colombia
item SEMA, FRANCISCO - National University Of Colombia
item Norrbom, Allen

Submitted to: Zootaxa
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2017
Publication Date: 6/7/2017
Citation: Martinez-Alva, J.O., Sema, F., Norrbom, A.L. 2017. New records of Rhagoletis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Colombia, with discussion on the morphological variations of some species. Zootaxa. 4273:549-558.

Interpretive Summary: Fruit flies include some of the most important pests of fruits and vegetables worldwide. The majority of the pest species are exotic and are threats to American agriculture. To prevent their introduction to the U.S., knowledge of the taxomomy, distribution, and biology of all fruit flies is critical. This includes how to identify them, knowing where they occur, and which plants they attack. This paper reports the presence in Colombia of two species belonging to a group of flies that includes pests of apples, cherries, eggplant and tomato. New distribution information is provided for these species and their morphological variation is described and illustrated. This information is important to distinguish them from other species of the group, and will be useful to APHIS-PPQ and other regulatory agencies as well as scientists studying the biology of these flies.

Technical Abstract: Rhagoletis jamaicensis Foote, 1981 and an undetermined species of the psalida group, are recorded for the first time in Colombia. The morphological variation of the Colombian specimens of these species and of other species closely related are discussed.