Capture of melon flies, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae), in a food-baited Multilure trap: influence of distance, diet, and sex

Authors: SHELLY, TODD - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); Manoukis, Nicholas

Submitted to: Journal of Asia Pacific Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/8/2018
Publication Date: 1/11/2018
Citation: Shelly, T.E., Manoukis, N. 2018. Capture of melon flies, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae), in a food-baited Multilure trap: influence of distance, diet, and sex. Journal of Asia Pacific Entomology. 21(1):288-292.

Interpretive Summary: Invasive fruit fly detection worldwide relies on male-specific pheromone lures and on protein (food) based lures; the latter attracts females and males. It is important to understand the attractiveness of each type for efficient operation of surveillance networks. In this study we measured attraction to liquid protein baited traps by releasing marked flies at various distances from a central trap. Results show that the protein lure is not very attractive, but that it is still useful for surveillance since it attracts females.

Technical Abstract: Many countries operate trapping programs to detect invasions of pestiferous fruit fly species (Diptera: Tephritidae). Surveillance relies heavily on traps baited with male lures, which, while powerful, have limited effectiveness, because (i) they are sex-specific and (ii) males of some species do not respond to the lures currently in use. For these reasons, detection programs also include food-baited traps that are neither sex- nor species-specific. Compared to male lure-baited traps, however, few studies have measured the attractiveness of food-based traps. The present study describes a mark-release-recapture study conducted in a fruit orchard in Hawaii that measured the attractiveness of a liquid protein-baited (torula yeast/borax slurry) trap to adults of the melon fly Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett). Multiple release points were used at varying distances from a single, central trap to generate estimates of distance-dependent capture probabilities. The potential influences of sex and pre-release diet on capture probability were also examined. Flies were released at 14d of age and were maintained on one of 4 dietary regimes that offered a protein-rich diet for varying intervals (i.e., 0, 3, 7, or 14d, respectively). Recapture rates were similar between the sexes and over both sexes and all diets averaged 3.6%, 3.2%, and 0.6% for release distances of 10, 25, and 50m, respectively. Pre-release diet had a significant effect on recapture probability for releases at 10 and 25m: flies fed sugar only or protein-rich diet for only 3d were captured more frequently than flies that had longer access to protein prior to release.