Host plant records of the White Striped Fruit Fly, Bactrocera (Bactrocera) albistrigata(de Meijere,1911)(Diptera: Tephritidae), Version 1.0

Authors: LIQUIDO, NICANOR - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); McQuate, Grant; HANLIN, MEGAN - North Carolina State University; LEE, KELLY ANN - North Carolina State University; NAKAMICHI, KELLY - North Carolina State University; TATENO, AMBER - North Carolina State University

Submitted to: USDA CPHST Online Database
Publication Type: Literature Review
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/29/2017
Publication Date: 8/29/2017
Citation: Liquido, N.J., Mcquate, G.T., Hanlin, M.A., Lee, K.L., Nakamichi, K.A., Tateno, A.P. 2017. Host plant records of the White Striped Fruit Fly, Bactrocera (Bactrocera) albistrigata(de Meijere,1911)(Diptera: Tephritidae), Version 1.0. USDA CPHST Online Database. Available online at: USDA Compendium of Fruit Fly Host Information (CoFFHI), Edition 3.0, https://coffhi.cphst.org/.

Interpretive Summary: The white striped fruit fly, the scientific name of which is Bactrocera albistrigata, is a tephritid fruit fly species present in Oriental Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand). While considered an obscure minor pest, B.albistrigata is an emerging invasive pest of quarantine significance: it was detected in California in 2009 (successfully eradicated in 2010) and in Hawaii in 2016 (a single male, eradication not triggered). In order to prevent the entry, establishment and spread of the white striped fruit fly into a new habitat, an accurate knowledge of the fly’s host plants is essential. The list of provisional suitable host plants for B.albistrigata is a list of plant taxa for which there are validated infestations by B.albistrigata under natural field conditions. This list is comprised of 21 plant taxa, belonging to 14 genera in 13 plant families. The predominant family of host plants is the family Myrtaceae, with six plant taxa, which includes cloves, guava and water apple. Two additional host plant taxa, representing two genera in the plant family Myrtaceae are considered “undetermined hosts” for which additional data are needed to document actual host status. The provisional host list for B.albistrigata is a product of the USDA Compendium of Fruit Fly Host Information, a project funded through Farm Bill.

Technical Abstract: Bactrocera (Bactrocera) albistrigata (de Meijere, 1911), commonly known as the white striped fruit fly, is regulated through the Plant Protection Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 7701-7772) and relevant Parts and Subparts of the Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR – Agriculture). While considered an obscure minor pest, B.albistrigata is an emerging invasive pest of quarantine significance: it was detected in California in 2009 (successfully eradicated in 2010) and in Hawaii in 2016 (a single male, eradication not triggered). This document was developed because 7 CFR – Agriculture has no host list for B.albistrigata. For the preparation of a host list for B.albistrigata, Bactrocera frauenfeldi infestation records north and west of Irian Jaya to Malaysia were treated as B.albistrigata records, based on reports by tephritid fruit fly taxonomists that B.frauenfeldi host records in this area are probably misidentifications of B.albistragata. The provisional suitable host list for B.albistrigata, which includes plant taxa for which there are validated infestations under natural field conditions, consists of 21 plant taxa, belonging to 14 genera in 13 families. In addition, two additional plant taxa are considered to be “undetermined hosts” for which additional data are needed to document their actual host status. The provisional host list for B.albistrigata is a product of the USDA Compendium of Fruit Fly Host Information, a project funded through Farm Bill.