Pest Management Science (2021) 77, 2522-2529

Jess R. Inskeep, Phillip W. Taylor, Bishwo Mainali, Polychronis Rempoulakis and Christopher W. Weldon (2021)
Spatio-temporal distribution of sexual calling behaviour in domesticated, sterile and wild Queensland fruit fly males under field cage conditions
Pest Management Science 77 (5), 2522-2529
Abstract:
BACKGROUND
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is used in Australia to contain and eradicate outbreaks of Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in fruit-fly-free regions, and to manage populations in some endemic regions. To assess the likely impact of SIT on wild B. tryoni populations it is important to assess the colocation and synchrony of male calling between sterile and wild flies. We observed the location and timing of calling behaviours of marked mass-reared (fertile and sterile) and wild B. tryoni males in walk-in field cages.
RESULTS
We found that wild males called further from the canopy centre than mass-reared (fertile or sterile) males. Mass-reared (fertile or sterile) males called earlier in the evening than wild males and, consequently, mass-reared males called when temperature and light intensity were higher than when wild males called.
CONCLUSION
Male calling is a prerequisite to mating among dacine fruit flies. Therefore, our observations of spatio-temporal divergence in male calling behaviour may lead to assortative mating between mass-reared and wild B. tryoni in SIT applications. The importance of these spatio-temporal differences warrants further inquiry, with particular focus on how environmental conditions modify calling behaviour and avenues to ameliorate differences between sterile and wild flies.
(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): Phillip W. Taylor, Polychronis Rempoulakis, Christopher W. Weldon

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
control - general

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Bactrocera tryoni