Abstract
At present there are nine species of tephritid fruit flies in Mauritius and together they plague a wide range of hosts, from wild guavas to cultivated fruits and vegetables. The most destructive among them are: the natal fruit fly, Pterandrus rosa Karsh; the medfly Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann and the melon fruit fly Dacus Cucurbitae Coquillet. Studies with parapheromones indicate that trap colour has little if any effect on the efficiency of fly capture, the olfactory component completely dominating any visual effect. The efficiency of the traps with respect to height varies from species to species and with the vegetation. A height of 120 to 180 cm from the ground was found to be optimal for the natal fruit fly in wild guava zones. Traps placed at ground level on creeping plants were found to capture the highest number of the melon fruit fly. The response of the medfly in fruit tree orchards with height of traps was erratic, showing inconsistent trends with more than one peak.
Résumé
En ce moment, à l’ile Maurice, il y a environ neuf espèces de mouches de fruits, toutes de la famille de tephritidae. Ensemble, elles constituent un veritable fléau qui menace nos arbres fruitiers et nos cultures vivrières. Les plus nuisibles sont: la mouche de natale, Pterandrus rosa Karsh.; la mouche mediteranéenne, Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann; et la mouche du melon, Dacus Cucurbitae Coquillet. Les récentes études entreprises avec des parapheromones incorporés dans des pièges attractifs démontrent que la couleur de ces appareils a très peu d’effet sur la capture de ces insectes. Tout laisse croire que l’élément olfactif de ces pièges dominent totalement leur effets visuels. L’efficience des pièges attractifs varient en fonction de l’espèce de mouches piégés et aussi de la nature de la végétation ambiante. Dans une zone de goyave de chine, une hauteur se situant entre 120 et 180 cm est jugée optimale pour la capture de la mouche de natale. Chez la mouche du melon sur les filantes, les pièges placés au niveau du sol procurent un plus grand nombre de captifs que ceux placés plus haut. Nulle tendence particulière fut observée en ce qui concerne la capture de la mouche mediteranéenne par rapport à la hauteur des pièges attractifs placés dans des vergers de manguiers.
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Ramsamy, M.P. A Survey of Three Main Tephritids and Their Hosts in Mauritius and Some Studies on Their Control with Attractive Chemical Traps. Int J Trop Insect Sci 10, 383–391 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400003647
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400003647