EENY-214
Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann)
(Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) 1
M. C. Thomas, J. B. Heppner, R. E. Woodruff, H. V. Weems, G. J. Steck, and T. R. Fasulo 2
1. This document is EENY-214 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circulars 4, 230 and 273, updated for this publication), one of a series of the
Department of Entomology and Nematology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date July 2001. Revised October 2007, June and
September 2010, and October 2016. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu . This document is also available on the Featured Creatures website
at http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/ .
2. M. C. Thomas; J. B. Heppner; R. E. Woodruff; H. V. Weems; G. J. Steck; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant
Industry; and T. R. Fasulo (retired), Department of Entomology and Nematology; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension.
Introduction
The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiede -
mann), is one of the world’s most destructive fruit pests.
The species originated in sub-Saharan Africa and is not
known to be established in the continental United States.
When it has been detected in Florida, California and Texas,
especially in recent years, each infestation necessitated
intensive and massive eradication and detection procedures
so that the pest did not become established.
Because of its wide distribution over the world, its ability
to tolerate cooler climates better than most other species of
tropical fruit flies, and its wide range of hosts, it is ranked
first among economically important fruit fly species. Its
larvae feed and develop on many deciduous, subtropical,
and tropical fruits and some vegetables. Although it may be
a major pest of citrus, often it is a more serious pest of some
deciduous fruits, such as peach, pear, and apple. The larvae
feed upon the pulp of host fruits, sometimes tunneling
through it and eventually reducing the whole to a juicy,
inedible mass. In some of the Mediterranean countries,
only the earlier varieties of citrus are grown, because the
flies develop so rapidly that late season fruits are too heavily
infested to be marketable. Some areas have had almost
100% infestation in stone fruits. Harvesting before complete
maturity also is practiced in Mediterranean areas generally
infested with this fruit fly.
In this age of jet transportation, the “medfly” can be
transported from one part of the world to some distant
place in a matter of hours, which greatly complicates efforts
to contain it within its present distribution. Once it is es -
tablished, eradication efforts may be extremely difficult and
expensive. In addition to reduction of crop yield, infested
areas have the additional expense of control measures
and costly sorting processes for both fresh and processed
fruit and vegetables. Some countries maintain quarantines
Figure 1. Adult male Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann).
Credits: USDA
2 Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)
against the medfly, which could jeopardize some fresh fruit
markets if it should become established in Florida.
Synonymy
Ceratitis citriperda MacLeay
Ceratitis hispanica De Brême
Paradalaspis asparagi Bezzi
Tephritis capitata Wiedemann
Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann)
Distribution
Countries with established infestations include (CABI
1999):
Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Republic of the Congo,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt,
Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozam -
bique, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion, Sao Tome & Principe,
Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, St. Helena,
Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Asia: Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria,
Turkey, Yemen
Australia: Western Australia
Central American and Caribbean: Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto
Rico
Europe: Albania, Azores, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands,
Corsica, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia,
Madeira Islands, Montenegro, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia,
southern Russia, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovenia, Spain
South American: Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador,
Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Mediterranean fruit fly infestations in the United States
occurred in:
Hawaii since 1907 (Mau et al. 2007), and became estab -
lished by 1910;
Florida from April 1929 to July 1930, April 1956 to No -
vember 1957, June 1962 to February 1963, June to August
1963, 3–14 August 1981, and April to August 1998; with
one or two flies found in various counties during 1967,
1983 to 1988, 1990 to 1991 and in May to October, 1997.
During June–August 2010, the largest outbreak since the
1997–1998 infestations was discovered and eradicated in
Palm Beach County in the Boca Raton area (FDACS 2010a,
2010c);
Texas during June and July 1966;
California in 1975, and periodically since 1980. Reinfesta -
tions in the same areas leads some experts to believe the
California infestation was never eradicated but was instead
reduced to subdetectable levels that periodically resurface
(Dawson et al. 1998, Papadopoulos 2008).
Identification
The medfly has no near relatives in the Western Hemi -
sphere. The adults are slightly smaller than a house fly
and have picture wings typical of fruit flies. They can be
distinguished fairly readily from any of the native fruit flies
of the New World.
Egg
The egg is very slender, curved, 1 mm long, smooth and
shiny white. The micropylar region is distinctly tubercular.
Figure 2. Incidence of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann), in Florida, 1929–1998.
Credits: G. J. Steck and B. D. Sutton, Division of Plant Industry
3 Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)
Larvae
Larvae are white with a typical fruit fly larval shape, i.e.
cylindrical maggot-shape, elongate, anterior end narrowed
and somewhat recurved ventrally, with anterior mouth
hooks, and flattened caudal end. The last instar is usually
7 to 9 mm in length, with eight ventral fusiform areas. The
anterior buccal carinae are usually nine to 10 in number.
The anterior spiracles are usually nearly straight on dorsal
edge of tubule row (often more straight than illustrated).
There are usually nine to 10 tubules, although there may be
seven to 11.
The cephalo-pharyngeal skeleton has a large convex mouth
hook each side, approximately 2X hypostome in length. The
hypostomium has prominent, rounded subhypostomium;
post-hypostomial plates curved dorsally to the dorsal
bridge, fused with sclerotized rays of central area of dorsal
wing plate. The parastomium is prominent. The anterior
of the dorsal bridge has a prominent sclerotized point. The
dorsal wing plate is nearly as long as the pharyngeal plate.
The median area is relatively unsclerotized. The pharyngeal
plate is elongate, with prominent median hood and anterior
sclerotized area.
Figure 3. Eggs of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann).
Credits: Jeffery Lotz, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services-Division of Plant Industry; www.forestryimages.org
Figure 4. Larva of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann). Head is to the left.
Credits: Jeffery Lotz, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services-Division of Plant Industry; www.forestryimages.org
Figure 5. Lateral view of a mature larva of the Mediterranean fruit fly,
Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Division of Plant Industry
Figure 6. Head and buccal carinae of larva of the Mediterranean fruit
y, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Division of Plant Industry
Figure 7. Anterior spiracles of larva of the Mediterranean fruit fly,
Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Division of Plant Industry
Figure 8. Larval cephalo-pharyngeal skeleton of the Mediterranean
fruit y, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Division of Plant Industry
4 Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)
The caudal end has bifurcate or paired dorsal papillules ( D1
and D2 ) on small mount of relatively flat plate; intermediate
papillules ( I1-2 ) as a line of fused elevations on a very
enlarged subspiracular tubercle, plus a remote I3 at ap -
proximately 45 degrees from I1-2 ; L1 on the median edge
of the caudal end; V1 not prominent; posterior spiracles
elongate (4.5 to 5X width), with dorsal and ventral spiracles
angled away from relatively planar median spiracle; inter -
spiracular processes (hairs) usually not branched; anal lobe
bifid or entire.
LARVAL DIAGNOSIS
The primary diagnostic characters for Mediterranean fruit
fly larvae involve the anterior spiracles, the buccal carinae,
and the prominent subspiracular tubercles of the caudal
end. The anterior spiracles have the tubule edge relatively
straight dorsally and the tubule number usually is nine to
10, although it can be from seven to 11. The buccal carinae
number nine to 10. The caudal end has two prominent
subspiracular tubercles, each with a crescent of irregularly
fused papillules (approximately equivalent to 11-2 ). The
anal lobe is either bifid or entire. The pharyngeal skeleton
is distinctive in overall configuration, particularly the
enlarged subhypostomium of the hypostomium (posterior
to each mouth hook). There is a heavily sclerotized dorsal
bridge point at the anterior of the dorsal wing plate. The
shape of the interior sclerotizations of the dorsal wing plate
and the hood of the pharyngeal plate are also distinctive for
the species.
Larvae examined came from verified samples from Florida,
Hawaii, and Portugal (all are in the larval collection of
the Museum of Entomology, Florida State Collection of
Arthropods).
Pupa
The pupa is cylindrical, 4 to 4.3 mm long, dark reddish
brown, and resembles a swollen grain of wheat.
Figure 9. Caudal end of larva of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis
capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Division of Plant Industry
Figure 10. Posterior spiracles (left side) (after Phillips 1946) of a larva of
the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Division of Plant Industry
Figure 11. Anal lobes of larva of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis
capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Division of Plant Industry
5 Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)
Adult
The adult fly is 3.5 to 5 mm in length. The color is yellowish
with brown tinge, especially on abdomen, legs, and some
markings on wings. The lower corners of the face have
white setae. Eyes are reddish purple (fluoresce green,
turning blackish within 24 hours after death). Ocellar
bristles are present. The male has a pair of bristles with
enlarged spatulate tips next to the inner margins of the eyes.
The thorax is creamy white to yellow with a characteristic
pattern of black blotches. Light areas have very fine white
bristles. Humeral bristles are present. Dorsocentral bristles
are anterior of the halfway point between supraalar and
acrostichal bristles. The scutellum is inflated and shiny
black. The abdomen is oval with fine black bristles scattered
on dorsal surface and two narrow transverse light bands on
basal half.
Wings, usually held in a drooping position on live flies, are
broad and hyaline with black, brown, and brownish yellow
markings. There is a wide brownish yellow band across
the middle of the wing. The apex of the wing’s anal cell is
elongate. There are dark streaks and spots in the middle of
wing cells in and anterior to the anal cell.
The males are easily separated from all other members of
this family by the black pointed expansion at the apex of the
anterior pair of orbital setae. The females can be separated
from most other species by the characteristic yellow wing
pattern and the apical half of the scutellum being entirely
black (White and Elson-Harris 1994). The female’s extended
ovipositor is 1.2 mm long.
Figure 12. Pupae of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann).
Credits: Jeffery Lotz, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services-Division of Plant Industry; www.forestryimage.org
Figure 13. Pupal views of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann).
Figure 14. An adult Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann), emerging from a puparium. Head is to the left.
Credits: Anne-Sophie Roy, European and Mediterranean Plant
Protection Organization; www.forestryimages.org
Figure 15. The thorax of the adult Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis
capitata (Wiedemann), is creamy white to yellow with characteristic
pattern of black blotches. The light areas have very fine white bristles.
Credits: Ken Walker, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; www.
forestryimages.org
6 Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)
Life History and Habits
The length of time required for the medfly to complete its
life cycle under typical Florida summer weather conditions,
and on which eradication schedules in Florida are based, is
21 to 30 days. A female medfly will lay one to 10 eggs in an
egg cavity 1 mm deep, may lay as many as 22 eggs per day,
and may lay as many as 800 eggs during her lifetime (usu -
ally about 300). The number of eggs found at any time in
the reproductive organs is no indication of the total number
of eggs an individual female is capable of depositing, as new
eggs are being formed continually throughout her adult life.
Females usually die soon after they cease to oviposit.
Eggs are deposited under the skin of fruit that is just begin -
ning to ripen, often in an area where some break in the skin
already has occurred. Several females may use the same
deposition hole with 75 or more eggs clustered in one spot.
When the eggs hatch, the larvae promptly begin eating, and
at first tunnels are formed, but may keep close together in
feeding until nearly full grown. Fruit in a hard or semiripe
condition is better for oviposition than fully ripened fruit.
Ripe fruit is likely to be juicier, and such fruits often are
associated with a high mortality of eggs and young larvae.
Females will not oviposit when temperatures drop below
60.8°F (16°C) except when exposed to sunlight for several
hours. Development in egg, larval, and pupal stages stops at
50°F (10°C). Pupae carry the species through unfavorable
conditions, such as lack of food and water, and temperature
extremes. During warm weather eggs hatch in 1.5 to three
days. The duration of the egg stage is considerably increased
by lower temperatures.
Larvae pass through three instars. Larval life may be as
short as six to 10 days when temperatures average 77 to
79°F (25 to 26.1°C). The kind and condition of the fruit
often influence the length of the larval stage. In citrus fruits,
especially limes and lemons, it appears to be longer. Thus
larvae require 14 to 26 days to reach maturity in a ripe
lemon, as compared with 10 to 15 days in a green peach.
Figure 16. Wing of the adult Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann). Wings are usually held in a drooping position on live
flies, are broad and hyaline with black, brown, and brownish yellow
markings. There is a wide brownish yellow band across middle of
wing.
Credits: Ken Walker, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; www.
forestryimages.org
Figure 17. Dorsal view of adult male Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis
capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Scott Bauer, USDA
Figure 18. Lateral view of adult Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis
capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Scott Bauer, USDA
Figure 19. Life cycle of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann), from left to right: adult, pupa, larva and eggs.
Credits: USDA
7 Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)
Larvae leave the fruit in largest numbers at or just after
daybreak and pupate in the soil or whatever is available.
Minimum duration of the pupal stage is six to 13 days
when the mean temperature ranges from about 76 to 79°F
(24.4 to 26.1°C). Back and Pemberton (1915) noted that
this period may be increased to at least 19 days when the
daily temperature means drop to about 69 to 71°F (20.6 to
21.7°C).
Adults emerge in largest numbers early in the morning
during warm weather and emerge more sporadically during
cool weather. They can fly short distances, but winds may
carry them a mile or more away. Copulation may occur at
any time throughout the day. Newly emerged adults are
not sexually mature. Males often show sexual activity four
days after emergence, and copulation has been observed
five days after emergence. Both sexes are sexually active
throughout the day. When the daily mean temperature
averages from 76 to 78°F (24.4 to 25.6°C), most females
are ready to mate from six to eight days after eclosion.
Oviposition may take place as early as four to five days after
emergence during very warm weather, but not for about 10
days when temperatures range between 68 to 72°F (20 to
22.2°C) (Back and Pemberton 1915).
Adults die within four days if they cannot obtain food. Usu -
ally about 50% of the flies die during the first two months
after emergence. Some adults may survive for six months or
more under favorable conditions of food (fruit, honeydew,
or plant sap), water, and cool temperatures. When host fruit
is continuously available and weather conditions favorable
for many months, successive generations will be large and
continuous. Lack of fruit for three to four months reduces
the population to a minimum.
Hosts
The Mediterranean fruit fly attacks more than 260 different
fruits, flowers, vegetables, and nuts. Thin-skinned, ripe
succulent fruits are preferred. Host preferences vary in
different regions. Although several species of cucurbits have
been recorded as hosts of the medfly, they are considered
to be very poor hosts. Some plants have been recorded as
medfly hosts only under laboratory conditions and may
not be attacked in the field. Knowledge of the hosts in one
country often aids in correctly predicting those which are
most likely to be infested in a newly infested country, but
what may be a preferred host in one part of the world may
be a poor host in another.
Mediterranean Fruit Fly Host List
Below is a world list of hosts grouped according to their
importance, according to best available information.
Heavily or Generally Infested
• Blighia sapida K König ( Cupania sapida (K König) Voigt),
ackee.
• Calophyllum inophyllum L., indiapoon beauty-leaf,
kamani, Alexander laurel.
• Casimiroa edulis Llave, white sapote, casimiroa, Mexican
apple.
• Chrysophyllum cainito L., cainito, star apple.
• Chrysophyllum oliviforme L., satin leaf, star apple, caimit -
illo, damson plum (Jamaica).
• Chrysophyllum polynesicum Hillebr., chrysophyllum.
• Citrus X Citrofortunella mitis (Blanco) J. Ingram and
H.E. Moore ( Citrus mitis Blanco), calamondin, Panama
orange.
Figure 20. Peach infested with larvae of the Mediterranean fruit fly,
Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: Division of Plant Industry
Figure 21. A female Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
(Wiedemann), pumps eggs through her ovipositor into the soft outer
layers of a ripe coffee berry.
Credits: Scott Bauer, USDA
8 Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)
• Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle, key lime.
• Citrus aurantium L., sour orange, Seville orange, bitter-
sweet orange; ( C. myrtifolia Raf.), myrtle-leaf orange.
• Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f., lemon, except ‘Eureka’, ‘Lisbon’,
and ‘Villa Franca’ cultivars (smooth-skinned sour lemon).
• Citrus x limonia Osbeck ( C. taitensis Risso), lemon.
• Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merrill ( C. grandis (L.) Osbeck;
C. decumana (L.) L.), pummelo, pomelo, shaddock.
• Citrus x nobilis Lour., king orange.
• Citrus x paradisi Macfady, grapefruit, pomelo.
• Citrus reticulata Blanco ( C. deliciosa Ten.; C. nobilis Andr.
var. deliciosa Ten.), mandarin orange, tangerine.
• Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck ‘Valencia’ and ‘Parson Brown’
and ‘Lue Gim Gong’ , Malta orange, Lambs summer
orange.
• Coffea canephora Pierre ex Froehn., robusta coffee, Coffea
arabica L., Arabian coffee, common coffee.
• Coffea liberica Bull ex Hiern, Liberian coffee.
• Cydonia oblonga Mill. ( C. vulgaris Pers.), quince,
mannela.
• Diospyros decandra Lour., persimmon.
• Diospyros kaki L. f. ( D. chinensis Blume; D. roxburghii
Carr.; D. schi-tse Bunge), kaki persimmon, Oriental
persimmon.
• Dovyalis caffra (Hook. f. & Harv.) Warb. ( Aberia caffra
Hook. f. & Harv.), kei-apple, umkokolo.
• Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ( Photinia japonica
Thunb.), loquat, Malta plum.
• Eugenia uniflora L. ( E. michelii Lam.; Stenocalyx michelii
Berg), Surinam cherry, pitanga, Brazil cherry, cayenne
cherry, Florida cherry, French cherry.
• Ficus carica L., common fig, lemon fig.
• Fortunella japonica (Thunb.) Swingle ( Citrus japonica
Thunb.), round and marumi kumquat.
• Malus pumila Mill. ( M. communis Poir.; Pyrus pumila
(Mill.) C. Koch), common apple.
• Mangifera indica L., mango.
• Mimusops elengi L., elengi tree, pogada, West Indian
medlar, elengi bulletwood.
• Murraya paniculata (L.) Jacq. ( M. exotica L.), orange-
jessamine, mock orange.
• Prunus americana Marsh., native plum, American plum.
• Prunus armeniaca L. ( Armeniaca vulgaris Lam.), apricot.
• Prunus domestica L., garden plum, Prunus domestica L.
spp. insitita (L.) Schneid., damson, bullace.
• Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. ( Amygdalus persica L.; Mill.),
Persica vulgaris (Mill.), peach.
• Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. var. nucipersica (Suckow) C.K.
Schneid. ( P. persica (L.) Batsch. var. nectarina (Ait. f.)
Maxim.), nectarine.
• Psidium cattleianum Sab. ( P. littorale Raddi var. longipes
(O. Berg.) Fosb.), strawberry guava, cattley guava, waiawi.
• Psidium guajava L., guava.
• Pyrus communis L., common pear.
• Pyrus x leconte Rehd., leconte pear.
• Syzygium jambos (L.) Alston (Eugenia jambos L.; Caryo -
phyllus jambos Stokes), rose apple, jambos, Malabar plum.
• Terminalia catappa L., tropical almond, false kamani,
winged kamani.
• Terminalia chebula Retz., black myrobalan, chebula
terminalia.
Occasionally Infested
• Annona muricata L., soursop, guana-bana.
• Averrhoa carambola L., carambola, star-fruit.
• Capsicum annuum L. ( C. frutescens auct.; C. baccatum
Vell.), Conoides Group: red pepper; Grossum Group: bell
pepper, sweet pepper; Cerasiforme Group: cherry pepper;
Longum Group: cayenne pepper, chili, long red.
• Carica papaya L., papaya, papaw.
• Carica quercifolia Solms, dwarf papaya, oakleaf papaya.
• Carissa bispinosa (L.) Desf. ex Brenan ( C. arduina Lam.;
C. acuminata A. DC.), hedge thorn.
• Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne ( Fragaria chilonensis (L.)
Duchesne x F. virginiana Duchesne), cultivated or garden
strawberry.
• Garcinia mangostana L., mangosteen.
• Garcinia xanthochymus Hook. f. ex T. Anderson, garcinia,
gourka.
• Gossypium sp., cotton.
• Juglans sp., walnut.
• Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., tomato.
• Ochrosia elliptica Labill., ochrosia.
• Opuntia sp., prickly pear. O. humifusa (Raf.) Raf. ( O.
compressa (Salisb.) Macbr.; O. opuntia (L.) Karst.; O. rafin -
esquii Engelm.; O. mesacantha Rafin.), O. humifusa Raf.
‘Variegata’, O. dilleni Haw., O. tuna (L.) Mill.( O. humilis
9 Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)
Haw.; O. horrida Salm-Dyck ex DC.), O. polyantha Haw.,
O. vulgaris Mill. ( O. monocantha (Willd.) Haw.; O. nana
DC.).
• Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. ( O. engelmanni Salm-Dyck;
O. megacantha Salm-Dyck; O. occidentalis Engelm. &
Bigel.), Indian fig, spineless cactus.
• Persea americana Mill. ( P. gratissima C.F. Gaertn.),
avocado, alligator pear.
• Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merrill & L.M. Perry ( Eugenia
malaccensis L.; Jambosa malaccensis (L.) DC.; Caryophyl -
lus malaccensis Stokes), ohia, Malay apple, pomerack,
mountain apple.
Rarely Infested
• Annona reticulata L., bullocks-heart, custard apple,
anona.
• Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merrill, ( A. saccharifera Labill.),
gomuti, sugar palm.
• Artocarpus altilis (Parkins.) Fosb. ( A. incisus L.F.; A.
communis Forst.), breadfruit.
• Carissa grandiflora (E.H. Mey.) A. DC., Natal plum,
carissa.
• Cestrum sp., cestrum, jessamine: C. nocturnum L., night-
jessamine, Chinese inkberry, night-blooming jasmine.
• Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels ( C. punctata (Sonn.)
Rehd. & E.H. Wils.; C. wampi (Blanco) D. Oliver),
Chinese wampee, wampi.
• Latania loddigesii Mart. ( L. glaucophylla Hort. ex Baker),
blue palm.
• Litchi chinensis Sonn. ( Nephelium litchi Camb.), litchi,
lychee.
• Lycium europaeum L., European wolfberry.
• Malpighia glabra L., Barbados cherry, acerola.
• Manilkara zapota (L.) Van Royen ( Achras zapota L.;
Sapota achras Mill.; M. zapotilla (Jacq.) Gilly), sapodilla.
• Musa acuminata Colla ( M. cavendishii Lamb. ex Paxt.; M.
nana auct.; M. chinensis Sweet), dwarf banana, Chinese
banana.
• Musa x paradisiaca L. ( M. x sapientum L.), common
banana, plantain.
• Noronhia emarginata (Lam.) Thouars ex Hook., Madagas -
car olive, noronhia, Chinese plum.
• Passiflora sp., passion flower, P. caerulea L., blue-crown
passion flower, P. foetida L., tagua passion flower.
• Phoenix dactylifera L., date palm.
• Punica granatum L., pomegranate.
• Rubus sp., blackberry, youngberry.
• Santalum freycinetianum Gaudich. ( S. paniculatum Hook.
& Arn.), beach sandalwood.
• Solanum incanum L. ( S. coagulans Forssk.).
• Solanum melongena L. var. esculentum Nees, garden
eggplant.
• Spondias cytherea Sonn. ( S. dulcis G. Forst.), ambarella,
otaheite apple, vi-apple, wi.
• Syagrus campestris (Mart.) H. Wendl. ( Cocos campestris
Mart.), field syagrus palm.
• Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merrill & L.M. Perry
(Eugenia javanica Lam.).
• Vitis lambrusca L., fox grape, Isabella grape.
Laboratory Infestations
• Acanthocereus sp., acanthocereus. A. pentagonus (L.)
Britt. & Rose ( Cereus baxaniensis Karw. ex Pfeiff.; C.
pentagonus (L.) Haw.), barbwire acanthocereus, dildoe,
cactus.
• Aronia arbutifolia (L.) Pers. ( Pyrus arbutifolia (L.) L.f.),
red chokeberry.
• Coccoloba diversifolia Jacq. ( C. floridana Meissn .; C.
laurifolia Lindau), pigeon plum, dove plum.
• Crataegus floridana Sarg., Jacksonville hawthorn.
• Crataegus galbana Beadle, hawthorn.
• Cucumis anguria L. ( C. erinaceus Hort.; C. grossulariifor -
mis Hort.), West Indian gherkin, wild cucumber.
• Cydonia sp., quince. Cydonia sinensis Thouin ( Chae -
nomeles sinensis (Thouin) Koehne; Pseudocydonia sinensis
Schneid.), Chinese quince.
• Echinocereus triglochidiatus Engelm. var. neomexicanus
(Standl.) Standl. ex W.T. Marsh. ( E. polyacanthus En -
gelm.), cactus.
• Eugenia axillaris (Swartz) Willd., whitestopper eugenia.
• Forestiera sp. ( Adelia sp.), adelia. F. segregata (Jacq.) Krug
& Urban, Florida privet.
• Fortunella hindsii (Chapm.) Swingle, Hong Kong
kumquat.
• Fragaria chiloensis (L.) Duchesne, strawberry, chiloe
strawberry.
• Hibiscus sabdariffa L., roselle, Jamaica sorrell.
• Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britt. & Rose ( Cereus undatus
Haw.), night-blooming cereus, pitaya.
10 Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)
• Ilex glabra (L.) A. Gray, inkberry, gallberry.
• Licania michauxii Prance ( Geobalanus oblongifolius
Michx.), gopher apple.
• Osmanthus americanus (L.) A. Gray ( O. floridanus
Chapm.), wild olive, hammock osmanthus.
• Solanum erianthum D. Don ( S. verbascifolium auct.),
potato tree, mullein nightshade.
• Solanum seaforthianum Andr., Brazilian nightshade.
• Solanum sisymbriifolium Lam., nightshade.
• Ximenia americana L., tallow-wood.
Detection and Survey
A primary method of collecting larvae is by cutting
infested fruit. Fully grown larvae, when the surrounding air
temperature is warm, flex and “jump” repeatedly as much
as 25 mm when removed from fruit. Larval identification
is extremely difficult, so that when feasible it is best to rear
them to adults for identification. If collected, larvae must be
killed; they should be placed in hot water and then trans -
ferred to 70% isopropenol. Larval identification is based
primarily on characters of mature 3rd instar larvae.
Adults are collected primarily by use of sticky-board traps
and baited traps (USDA 1997). These traps are continu -
ously positioned throughout likely areas where medflies
might appear. In Florida, inspectors from the Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services-Division of Plant
Industry continually monitor the traps for the appearance
of pest fruit flies. Once an adult Mediterranean fruit fly is
positively identified, the number of baited traps throughout
that area is greatly increased to capture the flies and remove
them from the environment, and to serve as a monitoring
tool for the effectiveness of the eradication program. Even
after an infestation is believed eradicated, the greatly
increased number of traps and their inspection interval
remains high for several months before an infestation is
officially declared eradicated.
Management
As a Mediterranean fruit fly infestation falls under the
control of Florida’s regulatory agency - the Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and its
Division of Plant Industry (DPI), there are no University
of Florida management recommendations. Plus treatment
strategies change in an environment of public concern
about aerial application of insecticidal baits.
For the 2010 infestation, the following treatments are being
used by FDACS-DPI and the USDA (FDACS 2010b):
Foliar Spot Treatments: Spraying trees with Spinosad
(product FG-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait) which is an
insecticide derived from a naturally occurring soil organ -
ism. Spraying will take place in the core area of a positive
find and extend out 1–1/2 miles.
Soil Drenching: The soil under host trees with fruit known
or suspected to be infested with medfly larvae and host
trees under adjacent properties will be treated.
Fruit Stripping: Fruit will be stripped from all host trees
and within 200 meters (656 feet). Fruit is placed in heavy
plastic bags and removed to a local landfill to be buried. Figure 22. Older version of trap used to capture adults of the
Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann).
Credits: USDA
Figure 23. Newer version of trap used to capture adults of the
Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). The improved
version of the McPhail trap uses a combination of three chemicals to
attract male and female fruit flies. The older version of the trap used a
protein bait that captured large numbers of non-target insects.
Credits: Peggy Greb, USDA; www.forestryimages.org
