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<em>Bactrocera trilineola</em>

Bactrocera trilineola

Vanuatu fruit fly
Previous scientific names: Dacus (Strumeta) triseriatus Curran, Bactrocera trilineola Drew, Bactrocera distotriseriata Hardy

Diagnosis

Morphological – adult

Features include:

  • medium sized species
  • face entirely glossy black
  • postpronotal lobes fuscous to black
  • notopleura yellow
  • scutum glossy black
  • mesopleural stripe reaching midway between anterior margin of notopleuron and anterior npl. seta
  • lateral and medial postsutural vittae absent
  • scutellum glossy black with lateral margins yellow
  • wing with a narrow extremely pale fuscous costal vein and broad fuscous anal streak
  • a narrow fuscous transverse band across wing
  • cells bc and c extremely pale fuscous
  • microtrichia covering outer ½ of cell c only
  • abdominal terga mostly glossy black except for two broad longitudinal fulvous bands on 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).

Morphological – larvae

Information not 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

B. trilineola cannot be distinguished from B. kirki or B. frauenfeldi. No distinctive restriction enzymes, but a combination of several can be chosen to distinguish this group from other Bactrocera and species in other genera.

See Restriction enzyme haplotype chart and Diagnostic restriction patterns.

Host Range

Bactrocera trilineola has been recorded on hosts from 17 plant families. These include: Anacardiaceae, Annonaceae, Caricaceae, Caesalpinaceae, Combretaceae, Lauraceae, Moraceae, Musaceae, Myrtaceae, Oxalidaceae, Rutaceae and Sapindaceae (for a full list of recorded hosts see Leblanc et al. 2012).

Major commercial hosts:

  • Mangifera indica (mango)

Distribution

Restricted to Vanuatu where it is common over nearly every island (Drew 1989). The record from New Caledonia (Leblanc et al. 2012) is doubtful.

Similar species

Bactrocera trilineola belongs to the frauenfeldi complex. It differs from B. albistrigata, B. caledoniensis and B. frauenfeldi in possessing a glossy black face and in lacking lateral postsutural vittae. The apex of piercer and the spicules on the middle segment of the ovipositor are similar in B. frauenfeldi and B. trilineola, however the apex of the aculeus is slightly more pointed in B. trilineola. See Bactrocera frauenfeldi complex and similar species for comparisons with other frauenfeldi complex species.

It is similar B. kirki but differs in having a distinct band on the wing, dark postpronotal lobes and a black face.

Pest Status

  • Exotic
  • Major pest in Vanuatu, particularly mangoes

Attractant/Lure

Cue lure