Journal of Insect Behavior (2003) 16, 329-346

Juan Rull, Ronald J. Prokopy and Roger I. Vargas (2003)
Effects of conspecific presence on arrival and use of hosts in Ceratitis capitata flies
Journal of Insect Behavior 16 (3), 329-346
Abstract: To reach a better understanding of the factors that affect Mediterranean fruit flies', Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (medflies'), arrival at and use of hosts, we evaluated the alighting and boring propensity of sexually mature high-egg load medfly females that were grouped with conspecifics or held in isolation for 4 days prior to testing. To avoid confounding effects that may have been responsible for conflicting results in previous studies, we exposed groups of free-foraging females to odorless artificial fruit (parafilm-covered agar spheres) in a rotating cage containing small potted host trees and kept experimental intervention to a minimum. Our protocol involved releasing cohorts of 24 females in a patch containing only two such low-quality "hosts." In such circumstances, grouped females preferred to alight in significantly greater numbers on artificial fruit occupied by conspecifics than on unoccupied hosts and displayed a significantly greater propensity to oviposit in fruit in the presence than the absence of conspecifics. We did not detect differences in egg load or body size between intruders and residents or between winners and losers of contests. We conclude that as in adaptive superparasitism, the presence of conspecifics may enhance the propensity of fruit-foraging medflies to alight on and use scarce low-quality hosts.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Roger I. Vargas

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Ceratitis capitata