Dinâmica populacional das moscas-das-frutas Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) e Anastrepha spp. Schiner, 1868 (Diptera: Tephritidae) no município de Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This study was conducted in Itaguaí (RJ), from December 1988 to December 1992, with the aim of investigating the population dynamics of Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha spp., their relationships with host plants, and the influence of climatic factors on their populations. Over four years, mature fruits (damaged or showing signs of infestation) were collected from 13 different host plants: coffee, cashew apple, carambola, guava, grumichama, inga, jaboticaba, sweet orange, mango, loquat, Surinam cherry, Spanish cherry, and uvaia. The fruits collected in the field were taken to the laboratory of the Integrated Pest Management Center "Cincinnato Rory Gonçalves" (UFRRJ), where they were placed in plastic trays with sterilized soil and subsequently stored in cages designed to capture adult fruit flies. The cages were inspected weekly, and the soil was moistened regularly. The emerged tephritid flies were stored in glass flasks containing 70% alcohol and glycerin, sexed, and identified to the species level using a taxonomic key specific for fruit flies. A total of 6,072 flies were collected, and four Anastrepha species were identified in addition to C. capitata. The occurrence of individuals differed among species, with A. obliqua being the most prevalent, followed by C. capitata, A. fraterculus, A. sororcula, and A. distincta. These species showed different degrees of infestation across host plants. The population fluctuations of C. capitata and Anastrepha spp. were found to be associated with fruit maturation periods. During summer and autumn—when native fruits are more available—Anastrepha spp. predominated; in winter, when introduced fruits were more common, C. capitata was more prevalent. Regarding climatic factors, average temperature and relative humidity exerted differentiated influence on tephritid populations depending on the year, while no correlation was found with rainfall. The results indicate that the most common species in Itaguaí were A. obliqua, A. fraterculus, and C. capitata, and that the population peaks of these species coincided with the maturation periods of their preferred fruits. However, the population dynamics of C. capitata and Anastrepha spp. do not entirely depend on the analyzed climatic factors.