engleski

Effects of environmental factors on the energetic traits of Ceratitis capitata

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann 1824)) is considered one of the most significant tephritid fruit fly species worldwide. Its specific adaptive biology, invasive character and climate change have a very favorable effect on the establishment of its populations in new areas. Understanding the physiology and dispersal of Ceratitis capitata provides us with information on how certain variants spread their alleles across large-scale agricultural landscapes. The main objective of this study was to determine the variability in energetic traits of C. capitata evolved from three favorable host plants (peach, fig and mandarin) from different agroecological production areas. The wings and pronotum of each C. capitata from ten populations were dissected and mounted on slides using standard preparation techniques. The length (mm), width (mm) and area of the wings (mm) and the width of the pronotum (mm) of the C. capitata populations were measured. Aspect ratio was calculated as wing span2/wing area. The wing geometry and aspect ratio of ten C. capitata populations were calculated. Application of these methods provides a better understanding of the physiology and dispersal capabilities of C. capitata, including the potential for dispersal of this invasive species over large geographic distances.

medfly, wings, geometry, invasiveness

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