Diagnosis

Morphological – adult

Medium sized species. Features include:

• facial spots absent or small and pale
• postpronotal lobes yellow (anterolateral corners black)
• notopleura glossy black
• scutum glossy black, mesopleural stripe reaching to postpronotal lobe, lateral and medial postsutural vittae absent, scutellum glossy black
• wing with a narrow pale fuscous costal band and narrow fuscous tint in anal cell, narrow pale fuscous markings along r-m and dm-cu crossveins, cells bc and c colourless or with a very pale fuscous tint, microtrichia in outer corner of cell c only
• all abdominal terga entirely glossy black
• posterior lobe of male surstylus short
• female with aculeus tip needle shaped (Drew 1989; pers. comm. Drew 2010).

Morphological – larvae

See White and Elson-Harris 1992 p. 214.

Molecular

Host Range

Bactrocera melanotus has been recorded on 31 hosts across 18 families including Anacardiaceae, Caricaceae, Combretaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Rutaceae and Sapindaceae (for a full list of recorded hosts see Leblanc et al. 2012).

Major commercial hosts (Drew 1989; Leblanc et al. 2012):

• Carica papaya (papaya)
• Citrus species
• Psidium guajava (guava)
• Mangifera indica (mango)
• Syzygium species

Distribution

Restricted to Cook Isands (Southern Island Group) (Drew 1989, Leblanc 2012).

Similar species

Bactrocera melanotus is similar to B. passiflorae in having a black scutum without vittae and black abdomen, but differs in having pale postpronotal lobes, a black scutellum and dark legs.

Pest Status

• Exotic
• Bactrocera melanotus is considered a major pest of papaw and citrus crops

Attractant/Lure

Cue lure