First Report of the Pepper Fruit Fly Atherigona orientalis (Schiner 1968) (Diptera: Muscidae) Infesting Commercial Pepper Crops in Greece

Abstract

The pepper fruit fly Atherigona orientalis (Schiner 1968) (Diptera: Muscidae) is a cosmopolitan tropical pest which has been recently recorded in several European countries. The biology of the pest has been primarily associated not only with decomposing fruits and vegetables, but even vertebrate and invertebrate carrion, dung and faeces. Relatively recently, A. orientalis has been reported as a primary pest of pepper fruits as well. In this short communication, we report, for the first time in Greece and, to the best of our knowledge, in Europe, cases of pepper fruit fly damage to pepper fruits in commercial greenhouse crops (in Crete in 2022). In this direction, possible implications and concerns regarding the occurrence of this pest in Crete are discussed.