Diversity of fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) species in French Guiana: their main host plants and associated parasitoids during the period 1994–2003 and prospects for management.

Introduction. This study was carried out in French Guiana, over ten years (1994–2003) by three institutions (SPV, FDGPC and CIRAD); it updates the current state of knowledge of Tephritidae (both Dacini and Toxotrypanini tribes) species present in this country. Materials and methods. The work was mainly conducted in inhabited areas (from the Brazilian border to the Surinamese border) where cultivated fruit crops are located. Specimens were obtained by adult trapping and fruit sampling in nearby orchards and at the edge of the rainforest. Trapping was done consistently for 10 years, while fruit sampling was a discontinuous activity. We present only the results for fruit sampling from three consecutive years (2001–2003) in which a total of 880 kg from 45 fruit species in 22 plant families were collected. Results. Twenty-nine plant species from fourteen plant families were found to be hosts of twenty-one Anastrepha species and one Bactrocera species, Bactrocera carambolae Drew and Hancock. During this period, no specimen of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) was collected in traps or fruit samples. We registered the main fruit trees which were hosts for B. carambolae and Anastrepha spp. Five hymenopterous parasitoid species were identified. Among them, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) is an exotic species and was introduced into French Guiana in collaboration with Brazilian authorities (EMBRAPA) in 2000 and 2001 within the framework of a classical biological control program. Conclusion. Our data provide baseline information about the tephritid species of economic importance present in French Guiana and assist in developing potential future control programs of both the B. carambolae and Anastrepha species in the Amazon Basin. These preliminary results are discussed in the light of their implication for rainforest conservation efforts and also evolutionary relationships between fruit flies and their hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]