Fruit flies and parasitoids associated with guava in Barbalha, Ceará, Brazil

Abstract

Guava’s fruits are usually infested by fruit flies. There is little information regarding the native parasitoids associated with fruit flies, which may vary according to the local conditions. A study was made from September, 2013, to August, 2014, in a family orchard, in Barbalha. The fruit flies and their parasitoids were correlated to climatic variables besides their infestation, frequency, and parasitism rates. The fruits were collected weekly and taken to a laboratory, where they were counted, weighted, and stored on trays with vermiculite, and kept under non-controlled conditions, and covered with organza until pupation. The pupae were collected between seven to ten days later and kept until their emergence as adults. The variables fruit infestation, parasitism, and frequency rates were calculated, and in April, we registered the greatest values of fruit flies/parasitoids abundance and diversity. Anastrepha sororcula and Anastrepha zenildae were the most abundant and their occurrence and parasitism was greater during April due to favorable climatic conditions. The fruit fly infestation was more common during the rainy season, from January to June, and the parasitism occurred with more intensity in April, and the parasitoid Doryctobracon areolatus was the most frequent.