Diagnosis

Morphological – adult

Features include:

• medium sized species
• large black facial spots present
• postpronotal lobes yellow (anterodorsal margins black)
• notopluera yellow
• scutum glossy black, mesoplueral stripe slightly wider than notopleuron, lateral and medial postsutural vittae absent, scutellum glossy black with extreme lateral margins yellow
• wing with a narrow pale fuscous costal band and narrow fuscous anal streak, a narrow pale fuscous tinge around r-m and dm-cu crossveins, cells bc and c with extremely pale fuscous tinge and microtrichia in outer ½ of cell c only
• abdominal terga glossy black except for two longitudinal orange-brown bands over terga II-V either side of a broad medial longitudinal glossy black band
• posterior lobe of male surstylus short
• female with aculeus tip needle shaped (Drew 1989; pers. comm. Drew 2010).

For potentially morphologically confounding species see ‘similar species’ and Bactrocera frauenfeldi complex and similar species.

Morphological – larvae

Information not available

Molecular

Host Range

Bactrocera kirki has been recorded on 40 hosts from a range of families including Anacardiaceae, Bromeliaceae, Combretaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Oxalidaceae, Passifloraceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Solanaceae (for a full list of recorded hosts see Leblanc et al. 2012).

Major commercial hosts (Leblanc et al. 2012):

• Mangifera indica (mango)
• Psidium guajava (guava)
• Citrus species (citrus)
• Persea americana (avocado)
• Syzygium species (edible Syzygium)
• Averrhoa carambola (carambola)
• Carica papaya (papaw)
• Annona reticulata (custard apple)
• Passiflora edulis (passionfruit)
• Morinda citrifolia (noni)
• Pouteria caimito (abiu)
• Capsicum annuum (sweet pepper)
• Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)
• Solanum melongena (eggplant)

Distribution

OCEANIA – Western Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji Islands (Rotuma), Tonga, Wallis & Futuna, Niue and Tahiti (Leblanc et al. 2012).

Similar species

Bactrocera kirki is similar to members of the B. frauenfeldi complex but differs in not having a distinct transverse band on the wing, although it has infuscation on the r-m and dm-cu cross veins.

Apart from lacking the wing band it is similar to:

• B. frauenfeldi but lacks vittae, has yellow ppn lobes, has a black scutellum with yellow margins, and very thick medial line on abdomen.
• B. albistrigata but lacks vittae, has a black scutellum with yellow margins, and very thick medial line on abdomen
• B. trilineola but has facial spots (instead of a mask), yellow ppn. lobes

It is similar to B. psidii but lacks vittae, has a wide black band on the scutellum (instead of a triangle) and has 2 yellow longitudinal bands on the abdomen. See Bactrocera frauenfeldi complex and similar species for other separating characters.

Pest Status

• Exotic
• Bactrocera kirki is considered a major pest, and perhaps the most significant in the South Pacific region

Attractant/Lure

Cue lure