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<em>Bactrocera facialis</em>

Bactrocera facialis

Previous scientific names: Dacus facialis Coquillett, Dacus tongensis, Chaetodacus facialis, Strumeta facialis, Dacus (Strumeta) facialis

Diagnosis

Morphological – adult

Features include:

  • small species
  • facial spots absent
  • postpronotal lobes and notopleura yellow
  • scutum black, mesopleural stripe reaching almost to postpronotal lobes, narrow short lateral postsutural vittae which may be present or absent, medial postsutural vitta absent, scutellum yellow with a narrow to broad black band that may cross the scutellum
  • wing with a narrow fuscous costal band, anal streak faint and narrow or absent, cells bc and c colourless with microtrichia in outer corner of cell c only; abdominal terga III-V orange-brown with a moderately broad medial longitudinal fuscous to black band over all three terga, broad lateral fuscous to black margins on tergum III continuing either as broad bands on terga IV and V or as dark anterolateral corners of terga IV and V
  • posterior lobe of male surstylus short
  • female with aculeus tip needle shaped (Drew 1989; pers. comm., Drew 2010, pers. comm., Royer 2017).

Morphological – larvae

Not available/included in this edition.

Molecular

DNA barcoding

Diagnostic BOLD reference data available.

PCR-RFLP Test 1

BsrI: 580, 250

HinfI: Does not cut

HhaI: 600, 180

Sau3AI: 400

SnaBI: Does not cut

SspI: Does not cut

Vspl: Does not cut

Approximate ITS1 fragment length – gel: 750 bp.

PCR-RFLP Test 2

AluI, DraI and RsaI produce diagnostic restriction patterns for B. facialis and B. passiflorae which cannot be distinguished (See Restriction enzyme haplotype chart and Diagnostic restriction patterns).

AluI: 770-760, 270, 170, 130, 120, 110
DraI: 1200, 290, 110
RsaI: 500, 420, 410, 290

Host Range

Bactrocera facialis has been recorded on hosts from a wide range of families. These include:

  • Anacardiaceae
  • Annonaceae
  • Apocynaceae
  • Asparagaceae
  • Boraginaceae
  • Callophyllaceae
  • Cardiopteridaceae
  • Caricaceae
  • Combretaceae
  • Ebenaceae
  • Hernandiaceae
  • Lauraceae
  • Lecythidaceae
  • Leguminosae
  • Malvaceae
  • Meliaceae
  • Moraceae
  • Musaceae
  • Myristicaceae
  • Myrtaceae
  • Passifloraceae
  • Rosaceae
  • Rubiaceae
  • Rutaceae
  • Salicaceae
  • Santalaceae
  • Sapindaceae
  • Sapotaceae
  • Solanaceae.

For a full list of recorded hosts see Leblanc et al. 2012.

Major commercial hosts

  • Capsicum annuum (bell pepper, chilli)
  • Carica papaya (papaya)
  • Citrus species
  • Mangifera indica (mango)
  • Persea americana (avocado)
  • Psidium guajava (guava)
  • Syzygium species

Distribution

Oceania – Tonga

Similar species

Bactrocera facialis can appear superficially similar to B. frauenfeldi which is established in north Queensland, but differs in not having a band across the wing.

Attractant/Lure

Cue lure