Can the Okinawa mass-reared strain of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) mate with the Taiwan wild strain?

Abstract

Mating tests between Okinawa mass-reared and Taiwan wild strains of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), were conducted in transparent acrylic plastic cages in the laboratory. The Okinawa mass-reared strain has been cultured for about 150 generations under artificial rearing conditions. The two strains of melon fly could mate with each other. Moreover, no significant assortative or disassortative mating was observed. Therefore, we suggest that the Okinawa mass-reared melon fly is compatible of mating with the Taiwan wild melon fly, at least under the laboratory conditions employed here.