Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds - Online edition

Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides

Tonga fruit flies (171)

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Photo 1. Bactrocera kirki.

Photo 2. Bactrocera facialis.

Photo 3. Bactrocera xanthodes.

Summary
  • Bactrocera kirki - abiu, avocado, guava, mango, noni, Malay apple, and more; Bactrocera facialis - wide, on 29 families of vegetables/fruit crops (notably, chilli, capsicum, guava); Bactrocera xanthodes - abiu, avocado, breadfruit, jackfruit, papaya, soursop, and more.
  • Females need protein before they can lay viable eggs.
  • Cultural control: growing vegetables out of season; bag fruit with paper or leaves; collect fallen fruit and destroy; harvest early (papaya); some non-hosts, e.g., some chilli varieties and pineapple in Fiji.
  • Chemical control: use a commercial protein bait spray, e.g. MPPIL, Royal Tongalure or Bactrogel.
Common Name

There are six fruit flies in Tonga. The species of economic importance are: (i) Bactrocera facialis (except the Niuas); (ii) Pacific fruit fly (Bactrocera xanthodes), (iii) Bactrocera kirki; (iv) Bactrocera species near passiflorae (Niuas only); and (v) Bactrocera distincta.

Scientific Name

Bactrocera facialis, Bactrocera kirki, Bactrocera xanthodes, Bactrocera passiflorae, Bactrocera distincta, and Bactrocera obscura. Bactrocera xanthodes is closely related to three other species. These are: Bactrocera paraxanthodea in New Caledonia, and Bactrocera neoxanthodes in Vanuatu, and a species not yet described from Samoa

Photo 4. Pacific fruit fly, Bactrocera xanthodes, laying eggs.

Photo 5. Fruit fly eggs.

Photo 6. Fruit fly larvae or maggots.

Photo 7. Fruit fly pupae.

Photo 8. Newspaper with edges folded and stapled to form a bag in which to insert fruit to protect it from fruit flies.

Photo 9. Banana leaves used to wrap a fruit bunch to prevent attack by fruit flies, other pests, and to promote uniform ripening, in Papua New Guinea.

AUTHOR Grahame Jackson
Information (and photos) Fruit flies in Tonga (2001), SPC Pest Advisory Leaflet 41 (https://lrd.spc.int/pest-advisory-leaflet); and from Fruit fly control methods for Pacific island countries and territories (2001), SPC Pest Advisory Leaflet 40. (https://lrd.spc.int/pubs/cat_view/469-pest-advisory-leaflets).

Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project PC/2010/090: Strengthening integrated crop management research in the Pacific Islands in support of sustainable intensification of high-value crop production, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

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