Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in mango orchards in the Minas Gerais semi-arid region

Abstract

We studied the diversity and level of infestation of fruit flies in mango orchards in a semi-arid region in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Surveys were conducted in orchards in the irrigated perimeter of Jaíba municipality in northern Minas Gerais, from November 2016 to November 2017. Sampling was conducted by collecting mangoes and trapping flies in McPhail traps. Of the total adult flies obtained (9,033), 8,902 specimens were Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), making it the predominant species collected in the traps (91.3%). ‘Palmer’ mango fruits were only infested with C. capitata, and showed high infestation rates (15.14 puparia kg−1 of fruit). The population peak of C. capitata coincided with the occurrence of mature mango fruits in the orchards. C. capitata was the most frequent and constant species identified in the survey and can be considered a dominant species.