Description of larvae of Anastrepha amplidentata and Anastrepha durantae within the fraterculus group (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Authors: RODRIGUEZ, E. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services; STECK, G. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services; MOORE, M. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services; Norrbom, Allen; SUTTON, B. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services; BRANHAM, MARC - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/7/2020
Publication Date: 1/29/2021
Citation: Rodriguez, E.J., Steck, G.J., Moore, M., Norrbom, A.L., Sutton, B.D., Branham, M. 2021. Description of larvae of Anastrepha amplidentata and Anastrepha durantae within the fraterculus group (Diptera: Tephritidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 123:169–189. https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.123.1.169.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.123.1.169

Interpretive Summary: Fruit flies are the agriculturally most important family of flies, including numerous major pests of citrus, mango, apple and many other commercially important fruits. Although the larvae are the stages that cause the actual damage, they are very difficult to identify and the taxomomy of the group is based mainly on the adults. In this study, the larvae of two species in the largest and most economically important group of fruit flies in the American tropics are described morphologically. This information will be useful to distinguish them from the larvae of other species, and will therefore be important to APHIS-PPQ and other regulatory agencies as well as other scientists.

Technical Abstract: We describe and illustrate for the 'rst time the third instars of Anastrepha amplidentata Norrbom and Anastrepha durantae Norrbom from Peru. Morphological structures such as the facial mask, cephalopharyngeal skeleton and spiracles are described using optical and scanning electron microscopy. A summary of comparative measurements of larvae of the eleven previously described species within the fraterculus group is provided. We discuss morphological characters that can be used to distinguish among species within the fraterculus group, such as oral ridges, accessory plates, mandible, anterior spiracles, dorsal spinules, posterior spiracles, and anal lobes.