Bactrocera (Bactrocera) latifrons ( Hendel, 1915 )

Leblanc, Luc, 2022, The dacine fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacini) of Oceania, Insecta Mundi 2022 (948), pp. 1-167 : 128

Bactrocera (Bactrocera) latifrons ( Hendel, 1915)

Solanum fruit fly

(= Dacus amoyensis Froggatt, 1909 , Chaetodacus antennalis Shiraki, 1933 )

Figure 41

Distribution. Widespread in tropical Asia, from India to Taiwan, and south to Sulawesi. Introduced to Hawaii (detected 1983) and Africa ( Drew and Romig 2013; Vargas et al. 2015).

Male lure. Latilure (alpha-ionol and cade oil) ( McQuate and Peck 2001).

Host plants. Category A fruit pest ( Vargas et al. 2015) recorded from 59 host taxa in 25 genera and 13 families ( Allwood et al. 1999; McQuate and Liquido 2016). The family Solanaceae contains the major host species and B. latifrons is a significant pest of Capsicum and Solanum species ( Drew and Romig 2013).

Biology. Adults mate at dusk ( Jackson and Long 1997). In Hawaii, at 24°C, eggs hatch in 3.2 days, larval development takes 9.0 days and pupal stage lasts 13.0 days ( Vargas et al. 1996).

Notes. Variants of this species, with extensive dark coloration on the abdomen and bases of femora, have been characterized and illustrated in Doorenweerd and Leblanc (2018). The trilobed aculeus ( Fig. 98 in Drew and Romig 2013) is characteristic. Heat tolerance of immature stages was studied in Hawaii ( Jang et al. 1999).

Figures

Figure 41. Bactrocera (Bactrocera) latifrons (Hendel). A) Head. B) Head and scutum. C) Abdomen, female. D) Abdomen, dark variant, female. E) Wing. F) Lateral view, male.

Figure 98. Zeugodacus (Zeugodacus) gracilis (Drew), male. A) Head. B) Head and scutum. C) Abdomen. D) Wing. E) Lateral view.