Fruit fly species composition, distribution and host plants with emphasis on vegetable-infesting species

Abstract

Vegetable crops hold a key position in smallholder agricultural production systems in Africa due to the number of farmers involved, income generation, employment opportunities, and enhancement of food and nutritional security. In many developed countries, demand for vegetables continues to grow due to increased awareness of the nutritional benefits, thereby stimulating increased domestic production and also imports from Africa. However, many pests threaten the productivity of the vegetable sector. Key amongst these are tephritid fruit flies that inflict both direct and indirect losses; alien invasive species are often responsible for severe ecological and economic impacts. The highly invasive and polyphagous melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (= Bactrocera cucurbitae), remains the most damaging vegetable pest and has spread throughout more than 25 countries in sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) since its first detection in East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania). Various other indigenous species belonging to the genus Dacus are also known to be notorious pests of vegetables and their distribution overlaps with that of the invasive species. Despite the economic importance of fruit fly species attacking vegetables, little information is available on: their species composition in each country; the damage inflicted on cropsw; their bionomics and population dynamics; and their host plant range. Understanding these parameters is essential for formulating any Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy for their control. In this chapter, vegetable- infesting fruit fly species composition, distribution and host range is reviewed.