Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-20T08:37:17.743Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influence of habitat pattern on orientation during host fruit location in the tomato fruit fly, Neoceratitis cyanescens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2007

T. Brévault  and
S. Quilici
T. Brévault
Affiliation:
CIRAD, UPR Cotton Farming Systems, Garoua, Cameroon; CIRAD, UPR Cotton Farming Systems, Montpellier, F-34000France; IRAD, Garoua, Cameroon
S. Quilici*
Affiliation:
CIRAD, UMR PVBMT CIRAD/Université de La Réunion, Pôle de Protection des Plantes, 7 chemin de I'IRAT, 97410, Saint-Pierre, France
*
*Author for correspondence Fax: +33 262 262 49 92 93 E-mail: serge.quilici@cirad.fr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Fruit flies have evolved mechanisms using olfactory and visual signals to find and recognize suitable host plants. The objective of the present study was to determine how habitat patterns may assist fruit flies in locating host plants and fruit. The tomato fruit fly, Neoceratitis cyanescens (Bezzi), was chosen as an example of a specialized fruit fly, attacking plants of the Solanaceae family. A series of experiments was conducted in an outdoor field cage wherein flies were released and captured on sticky orange and yellow spheres displayed in pairs within or above potted host or non-host plants. Bright orange spheres mimicking host fruit were significantly more attractive than yellow spheres only when placed within the canopy of host plants and not when either within non-host plants or above both types of plants. Additional experiments combining sets of host and non-host plants in the same cage, or spraying leaf extract of host plant (bug weed) on non-host plants showed that volatile cues emitted by the foliage of host plants may influence the visual response of flies in attracting mature females engaged in a searching behaviour for a laying site and in assisting them to find the host fruit. Moreover, the response was specific to mature females with a high oviposition drive because starved mature females, immature females and males showed no significant preference for orange spheres. Olfactory signals emitted by the host foliage could be an indicator of an appropriate habitat, leading flies to engage in searching for a visual image.

Keywords

dipteratephritidaeNeoceratitis cyanescenshost locationhabitatvisual stimuliodour
Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 97 , Issue 6 , December 2007 , pp. 637 - 642
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aluja, M. & Birke, A. (1993) Habitat use by adults of Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae) in a mixed mango and tropical plum orchard. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 86, 799–812.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aluja, M. & Prokopy, R.J. (1992) Host search behaviour by Rhagoletis pomonella flies: inter-tree movement patterns in response to wind-borne fruit volatiles under field conditions. Physiological Entomology 17, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aluja, M. & Prokopy, R.J. (1993) Host odour and visual stimulus interaction during intratree host finding behaviour of Rhagoletis pomonella flies. Journal of Chemical Ecology 18, 2671–2696.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aluja, M., Prokopy, R.J., Buonaccorsi, J.P. & Cardé, R.T. (1993) Wind tunnel assays of olfactory responses of female Rhagoletis pomonella flies to apple volatiles: effect of wind speed and odour release rate. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 68, 99–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barton Browne, L., Smith, P.H., van Gerwen, A.C. & Gillott, C. (1993) Quantitative aspects of the effect of mating on readiness to lay in the Australian sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina. Journal of Insect Behaviour 3, 637–646.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bell, W.J. (1990) Searching behaviour patterns in insects. Annual Review of Entomology 35, 447–467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernays, E.A. & Chapman, R.F. (1994) Host-Plant Selection by Phytophagous Insects. 312 pp. New York, USA, Chapman & Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brévault, T. & Quilici, S. (1999) Factors affecting behavioural responses to visual stimuli in the tomato fruit fly, Neoceratitis cyanescens. Physiological Entomology 24, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brévault, T. & Quilici, S. (2000a) Relationships between temperature, development and survival of different life stages of the tomato fruit fly, Neoceratitis cyanescens. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 94, 25–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brévault, T. & Quilici, S. (2000b) Diel patterns of reproductive activities in the tomato fruit fly, Neoceratitis cyanescens. Physiological Entomology 25, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cornell, H. (1976) Search strategies and the adaptative significance of switching in some general predators. American Naturalist 110, 317–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cytrynowicz, M., Morgante, J.S. & De Souza, H.M.L. (1982) Visual responses of South American fruit flies, Anastrepha fraterculus, and Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata, to colored rectangles and spheres. Environmental Entomology 11, 1202–1210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diaz-Fleischer, F. & Aluja, M. (2003) Influence of conspecific presence, experience, and host quality on oviposition behavior and clutch size determination in Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae). Journal of Insect behavior 16, 537–554.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Etienne, J. (1972) Les principales Tephritides de l'ile de La Réunion. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 8 485–491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Etienne, J. (1973) Elevage permanent de Pardalaspis cyanescens (Diptera: Tephritidae) sur hôte végétal de remplacement. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 9, 853–860.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feeny, P., Städler, E., Ahman, I. & Carter, M. (1989) Effects of plant odour on oviposition by the black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). Journal of Insect Behaviour 2, 803–827.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fein, B.L., Reissig, W.H. & Roelofs, W.L. (1982) Identification of apple volatiles attractive to apple maggot fly. Journal of Chemical Ecology 8, 1473–1487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finch, S. (1995) Effect of trap background on cabbage root fly landing and capture. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 74, 201–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judd, G.J.R. & Borden, J.H. (1992) Influence of different habitats and mating on olfactory behaviour of onion flies seeking ovipositional hosts. Journal of Chemical Ecology 18, 605–620.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katsoyannos, B.I. (1987) Field responses of Mediterranean fruit flies to coloured red spheres suspended on fig, citrus and olive trees. pp. 167–172 in Proceedings of 2nd International Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships. Dr Junk Publishers, Dordrecht, 1–5 July 1986, Pau, France.Google Scholar
Katsoyannos, B.I. (1989) Response to shape, size and color. pp. 307–324in Robinson, A.S. & Hooper, G. (Eds) World Crop Pests: Fruit Flies, their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control, Vol. 3B. Amsterdam, Netherlands, Elsevier Science.Google Scholar
Kostal, V. & Finch, S. (1996) Preference of the cabbage root fly Delia radicum (L.) for coloured traps: influence of sex and physiological status of the flies, trap background and experimental design. Physiological Entomology 21, 123–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orian, A.J.E. & Moutia, L.A. (1960) Fruit flies of economic importance in Mauritius. Revue Agricole et Sucrière de l'Ile Maurice 39, 142–150.Google Scholar
Owens, E.D. & Prokopy, R.J. (1984) Habitat background characteristics influencing Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) fly response to foliar and fruit mimic traps. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Entomologie 98, 98–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pinero, J.C. & Prokopy, R.J. (2004) Local enhancement of alighting in the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae: effect of olfactory, visual, and acoustical stimuli. Journal of Insect Behavior 17, 493–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prokopy, R.J. (1972) Response of apple maggot flies to different colours and shades. Environmental Entomology 1, 720–726.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prokopy, R.J. & Haniotakis, G.E. (1976) Responses of wild and laboratory cultured Dacus oleae to host plant colour. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 68, 73–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prokopy, R.J. & Owens, E.D. (1978) Visual generalist vs. visual specialist phytophagous insects: host selection behaviour and application to management. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 24, 409–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prokopy, R.J. & Owens, E.D. (1983) Visual detection of plants by herbivorous insects. Annual Review of Entomology 28, 337–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prokopy, R.J. & Papaj, D.R. (1986) Fruit-foraging behaviour of Mediterranean fruit fly females on host and non-host plants. Florida Entomologist 69, 651–657.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prokopy, R.J. & Roitberg, B.D. (1984) Foraging behaviour of true fruit flies [Tephritidae]. American Scientist 72, 41–49.Google Scholar
Prokopy, R.J., Cooley, S.S., Luna, I. & Duan, J.J. (1995) Combined influence of protein hunger and egg load on the resource foraging behaviour of Rhagoletis pomonella flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). European Journal of Entomology 92, 655–666.Google Scholar
Roitberg, B.D. (1985) Search dynamics in fruit-parasitic insects. Journal of Insect Physiology 31, 865–872.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rull, J., Prokopy, R.J. & Vargas, R.I. (2003) Effects of conspecific presence on arrival and use of hosts in Ceratitis capitata flies. Journal of Insect Behavior 16, 329–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar