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International audience; An increasing number of invasive fruit fly pests are colonizing new grounds. With this study, we aimed to uncover the invasion pathways of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis into the islands of the Indian Ocean. By using genome-wide SNP data and a multipronged approach consisting of PCA, ancestry analysis, phylogenetic inference, and kinship networks, we were able to resolve two independent invasion pathways. A western invasion pathway involved the stepping-stone migration of B. dorsalis from the east African coast into the Comoros, along Mayotte and into Madagascar with a decreasing genetic diversity. The Mascarene islands (Reunion and Mauritius), on the contrary, were colonized directly from Asia and formed a distinct cluster. The low nucleotide diversity suggests that only a few genotypes invaded the Mascarenes. The presence of many long runs of homozygosity (ROH) in the introduced populations is indicative of population bottlenecks, with evidence of a more severe bottleneck for populations along the western migration pathway than on the Mascarene islands. More strict phytosanitary regulations are recommended in order to prevent the further spread of B. dorsalis.

Invasions by exotic species in areas already occupied by related species may lead to extinction or niche partitioning. Bactrocera dorsalis has invaded the Comoros archipelago in 2005 where other tephritids were already present. The host ranges of fruit flies in the Comoros were studied by conducting a seven-year survey on the three islands of the archipelago with a substantial sampling effort comprising 91 plant species from 37 families. The results showed that 45 fruit species in 16 families were infested by tephritid species. Eight fruit fly species were detected in the sampled fruits, but 78% of the individuals were identified as B. dorsalis, confirming its dominance and polyphagous status. More than ten years after its invasion, B. dorsalis has replaced Ceratitis capitata as the dominant fruit fly species on several species such as mango and citrus. The coexistence between B. dorsalis and C. capitata seems possible due to the capacity of the latter to exploit different niches, i.e. higher altitudinal ranges and a few host fruit species (among which, chillies and coffee berries) constituting a refuge niche. Information about coexistence between B. dorsalis and other tephritids is useful for the management and better estimates of invasion risks and associated biosecurity measures.

Knowledge of the host range of a biocontrol agent (BCA) is fundamental. Host range determines the BCA's economic potential, as well as the possible risk for non-target organisms. Entomopathogenic fungal strains belonging to the genus Beauveria are widely used as BCA, but our knowledge of their physiological host range is only partial. The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of the physiological host range of three Beauveria strains belonging to two species, B. hoplocheli and B. bassiana. We performed laboratory mortality bioassays to assess their pathogenicity and virulence against nine insect pests, belonging to three orders: Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Diptera. Mortality rate, mean survival time and mycosis rate were used to estimate virulence. Pathogenicity was assessed as the capacity to cause a disease and induce mortality. Virulence was assessed as the severity of the disease based on mortality rate, mean survival time and mycosis rate. The results of this study revealed significant differences in the physiological host range of the three Beauveria strains tested. The three strains were pathogenic to all Diptera and Lepidoptera species tested. In the case of the Coleoptera, only the B. hoplocheli strain was pathogenic to the white grub Hoplochelus marginalis and only the B. bassiana strains were pathogenic to Alphitobius diaperinus. The B. hoplocheli strain was less virulent on Lepidoptera and Diptera than the two B. bassiana strains. The latter both exhibited very similar virulence patterns. The fact that B. hoplocheli and B. bassiana strains have different host ranges means that they can be used as BCA to target different pests. Impacts on non-target insects across multiple orders cannot be ruled out in the absence of ecological host range studies.

Numerous invasions by fruit flies of the Tephritidae family are observed worldwide. This is particularly the case in Comoros, because of its geographical position and its imports of fresh products from neighboring countries. In order to determine the strategies necessary to reduce the populations of several species of this family, it is essential to have a current status on the ecology and distribution of the species present in the archipelago. The objectives of this thesis were to: (i) inventory the Tephritidae species present in Comoros and analyze the seasonal fluctuations of populations in relation to climatic factors and phenology of the main host plants, (ii) determine the host plants range of the main species and (iii) inventory the Tephritidae indigenous parasitoids and follow the acclimatization of theparasitoid Fopius arisanus introduced since 2013. In order to achieve these objectives, a weekly monitoring of a trapping network as well as plants phenology present in Grande-Comore, Mohéli and Anjouan islands was carried out during a period of two years. Similarly,cultivated and wild fruits were sampled in different regions of the ecoclimatic diversity of Grande-Comore island during a period of three years. Five fruit fly species were found throughout the archipelago from the trapping network: Bactrocera dorsalis, Ceratitis capitata, Dacus bivittatus, Dacus punctatifrons and Dacus ciliatus. High dominance of the invasive species B. dorsalis was observed at all seasons and at all sites. The density of Tephritidae species was greater during the hot and wet season than during the cool and dry season. In addition, the results showed a high abundance of B. dorsalis in humid regions of low altitudes while C. capitata, persists in dry regions of higher elevation. The results suggest a niche separation phenomenon between these two species related to climate. Among 42 fruit species sampled from 22 plant families, 22 fruits belonging to 11 families were infested with Tephritidae. Six fruit fly species have emerged with a large dominance (91%) of B. dorsalis. The latter species occupies a wide range of host plants (16 species), using fruits previously infested with C. capitata. Four parasitoids species of Braconidae subfamily Opiinae have emerged in fruits including introduced species F. arisanus. However, very few individuals have been found at this timeand it will be necessary to follow acclimatization of the parasitoid in terms of parasitism rates, distribution and host fruit and Tephritidae species range., De nombreuses invasions par les mouches des fruits de la famille des Tephritidae sont observées dans le monde. C'est notamment le cas aux Comores, de par sa position géographique et de ses importations de produits frais depuis les pays voisins. Afin de déterminer les stratégies nécessaires permettant de diminuer les populations de plusieurs espèces de cette famille, il est indispensable de disposer d'un état des lieux sur l'écologie et la distribution des espèces présentes dans l'archipel. Les objectifs de cette thèse étaient : i) d'inventorier les espèces de Tephritidae présentes aux Comores et d'analyser les fluctuations saisonnières des populations en lien avec les facteurs climatiques et la phénologie des principales plantes-hôtes, ii) de déterminer la gamme de plantes-hôtes des principales espèces et iii) d'inventorier les parasitoïdes indigènes des Tephritidae et de suivre l'acclimatation du parasitoïde Fopius arisanus introduit à partir de 2013. Afin de mener à bien ces objectifs, un suivi hebdomadaire d'un réseau de piégeage ainsi que la phénologie des plantes présentes dans les îles Grande-Comore, Mohéli et Anjouan, a été réalisé durant une période deux ans. De même, des fruits cultivés et sauvages ont été échantillonnés dans différentes régions de la diversité écoclimatique de l'île de la Grande-Comore durant une période de trois ans. Cinq espèces de mouches de fruits ont été retrouvées dans l'ensemble de l'archipel à partir du réseau de piégeage : Bactrocera dorsalis, Ceratitis capitata, Dacus bivittatus, Dacuspunctatifrons et Dacus ciliatus. Une forte dominance de l'espèce envahissante B. dorsalis a été observée à toutes les saisons et dans tous les sites. La densité des espèces de Tephritidae était plus importante durant la saison chaude et humide que pendant la saison fraiche et sèche. De plus, les résultats ont montré une forte abondance de B. dorsalis dans les régions humides de basses altitudes alors que C. capitata, subsiste dans les régions sèches et d'altitude plus élevée. Les résultats suggèrent un phénomène de séparation de niches entre ces deux espèces liée au climat. Parmi 42 espèces de fruits échantillonnées apparentant à 22 familles de plantes, 22 fruits de 11 familles étaient infestés par des Tephritidae. Six espèces de mouches des fruits ont émergées des fruits échantillonnés avec une large dominance (91%) de B. dorsalis. Cette dernière espèce occupe une large gamme de plantes-hôtes (16 espèces), utilisant des fruits préalablement infestés par C. capitata. Quatre espèces de parasitoïdes de la famille des Braconidae, sous-famille d'Opiinae ont émergés des fruits dont l'espèce introduite F. arisanus. Cependant très peu d'individus ont été retrouvés pour le moment et il sera nécessaire de suivre l'acclimatation du parasitoïde, en termes de taux de parasitisme, de distribution et de gamme de fruit et d'espèces de Tephritidae hôtes.