Skip to content
<em>Bactrocera minax</em>

Bactrocera minax

Chinese Citrus Fruit Fly
Previous scientific names: Polistomimetes minax Enderlein, Mellesis citri Chen, Dacus (Polistominmetes) minax Drew, Bactrocera (Polistominmetes) minax Drew

Diagnosis

Morphological – adult

A large Callantra-like species. Features include:

  • face fulvous with a pair of large elongate black spots filling most of antennal furrow
  • postpronotal lobes and notopleura yellow
  • a lateral yellow band running from posterior margin of postpronotal lobe towards notopleuron but not reaching notopleuron
  • scutum red-brown with a mottled appearance from dorsoventral flight muscles and occasional irregular dark fuscous markings
  • lateral and medial postsutural yellow vittae present
  • no yellow marking anterior to notopleural suture
  • mesopleural stripe reaching anterior npl. seta dorsally
  • scutellum yellow
  • wing with cells bc and c fuscous, microtrichia covering outer l/2 of cell c only
  • a broad fuscous costal band overlapping R4+5, and with a dark fuscous spot within apex of this band
  • anal streak absent but with pale fuscous within cell cup
  • abdominal terga III-V fulvous to red-brown and generally with a dark fuscous to black ‘T’ pattern and dark fuscous to black anterolateral corners on terga IV and V.

Morphological – larvae

No information available.

Molecular

PCR-RFLP Test 1

BsrI: Data not available

HinfI: Data not available

HhaI: Data not available

Sau3AI: Data not available

SnaBI: Data not available

SspI: Data not available

Vspl: Data not available

PCR-RFLP Test 2

Data not available.

Host Range

Family Rutaceae (Citrus species and Fortunella species)

Distribution

Bhutan, Nepal, northern India, southern China.

Similar species

Bactrocera (Tetradacus) minax (Enderlein) is similar to Bactrocera (Tetradacus) tsuneonis (Miyake) in the general shape of the thorax and abdomen and in the basic body colour patterns to a point where these species could be confused in diagnosis.

However, B minax differs in lacking a.sa. setae, an incomplete lateral yellow band between the postpronotal lobe and notopleuron, a broader costal band overlapping R4+5 with a distinct dark fuscous spot within its apex and a needle-shaped apex on the piercer (not trilobed) (Drew and Romig 2013).

Pest Status

  • Exotic
  • Major pest of citrus in its native geographic range