Research Article Open Access

New Distribution Records of Fruit Fly Dacus sphaeroidalis (Bezzi) (Diptera:Tephritidae) From Pakistan and Improved Description of this Pest Species.

Abstract

Within the tropical Asian countries, the family Tephritidae is well represented and includes some of the most serious economic pests of fruits and vegetables around the world. The objective of this paper is to present taxonomy and new records of fruit flies based on the latest scientific consensus available to help the researchers for their accurate and easy identification. This manuscript deals with new distribution records presented for species of fruit fly Dacus sphaeroidalis (Bezzi) (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae), resulting from local fruit flies monitoring program. Speiemens of fruit fly were collected from rearing of their maggots feeding on the fruits of Chinese violet (Telosma cordata) host and then adults captured for identification and description. Now new distribution records of the species D. sphaeroidalis are presented, and described and illustrated for the first time for fauna of Pakistan. Taxonomic issues with specimen are discussed, described and illustrated from this region of which further host range has yet to be investigated. Although the newly recorded species closely resembles with other species of the genus Dacus, yet, the differences between these species are given.

Muhammad Sarwar, and Muhammad Riaz

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