Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #396011
Research Project: Systematics of Beetles, Flies, Moths and Wasps with an Emphasis on Agricultural Pests, Invasive Species, Biological Control Agents, and Food Security

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Host plants of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Morocco

Author
item EL HARYM, YOUNES - Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi
item BELQAT, BOUTAINA - Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi
item Norrbom, Allen

Submitted to: Zootaxa
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/19/2022
Publication Date: 10/20/2022
Citation: El Harym, Y., Belqat, B., Norrbom, A.L. 2022. Host plants of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Morocco. Zootaxa. 5196(3):355-387. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5196.3.3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5196.3.3

Interpretive Summary: True fruit flies are a large family of flies with more than 5000 species worldwide. More than 200 species are considered pests, most of which are exotic and thus are threats to U.S. agriculture, and others are potential invasive pests. Knowledge of the distributions and host plants of all fruit fly species is thus critical to formulate quarantine regulations and limit the spread of these pests. This study reports the results of surveys for fruit fly host plants in Morocco in which 127 plant species were found to be hosts of fruit fly species, including 40 species not previously reported to be hosts anywhere. This information will be critical to APHIS-PPQ and other regulatory agencies responsible to limit the spread of pest species.

Technical Abstract: A list of 127 host plant species of Tephritidae from Morocco is provided. Of these plants, 33 are reported for the first time as hosts for Tephritidae in Morocco, while 40 taxa are newly discovered hosts for Tephritidae globally. Another six species are confirmed as host plants. A total of 40 species of Tephritidae were reared from flowers, galls, or fleshy fruits collected in the field and brought to the laboratory for emergence. For these tephritid species, the host plants in Morocco were studied for the first time. Illustrations of some endemic host plant species are also provided.