Attraction of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) flies to odor of coffee fruit

• Published in: Journal of chemical ecology Vol. 22; no. 4; pp. 807 - 820
• Main Authors: Prokopy, R.J. (University of Massachusetts, Amherst.), Vargas, R.I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Springer 01-04-1996
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; ATRAYENTES; ATTRACTANTS; ATTRACTIF; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; BIOLOGICAL CONTROL; CERATITIS CAPITATA; COFFEA ARABICA; CONTROL BIOLOGICO; CONTROL DE INSECTOS; ENSAYO; FIELD TESTS; FRUITS; FRUTAS; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HOSTS; HOTE; HUESPEDES; INSECT ATTRACTANTS; INSECT CAGES; INSECT CONTROL; LUTTE ANTIINSECTE; LUTTE BIOLOGIQUE; ODEUR; OLOR; PESTS OF PLANTS; PLAGAS DE PLANTAS; Protozoa. Invertebrata; RAVAGEUR DES PLANTES; SMELL; TESTAGE; TESTING; Attraction; Laboratory study; Coffea arabica; Fruit; Tephritidae; Insecta; Stimulant plant; Study under natural conditions; Pest; Ceratitis capitata; Animal plant relation; Arthropoda; Dicotyledones; Host plant; Angiospermae; Rubiaceae; Spermatophyta; Invertebrata; Odor; Diptera
• ISSN: 0098-0331; 1573-1561
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02033588

On potted nonfruiting host trees in outdoor field cages, we evaluated attraction of released mature laboratory-cultured or wild-origin Mediterranean fruit flies (medflies) to odor of freshly picked fruit of host and nonhost plants. Odor of ripe intact or crushed coffee fruit (the presumed ancestral host of medflies) was significantly more attractive than odor of ripe intact or crushed fruit of five lower-ranking hosts and three nonhosts. Odor of crushed coffee fruit was significantly more attractive than odor of intact coffee fruit. Odor of ripe or near-ripe coffee fruit was significantly more attractive than odor of unripe coffee fruit. Immature females (without eggs) were significantly more attracted to odor of a proteinaceous food lure than to odor of ripe coffee fruit, whereas the reverse was true for mature females carrying a high egg load. In some trials, males proved as discriminating as females in favor of coffee fruit odor, but in several other trials males were less discriminating than females. Response patterns of mature laboratory-cultured females were similar to those of mature wild-origin females. In a field of coffee plants, attraction of natural-population females was significantly greater to odor of ripe coffee fruit than to water but was not greater than attraction to odor of proteinaceous food. Findings are discussed in relation to potential use of synthetic volatiles of coffee or other host fruit in traps for monitoring or controlling medflies