Comparative lure response, dispersal, and survival of male melon flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) from wild and genetic sexing strains in Hawaii
Abstract
The Sterile Insect Technique is an important component of area-wide programs to control invading or established populations of pestiferous tephritids. The sterile insect technique involves the release of large numbers of mass-reared, sterilized males to achieve sterile male × wild female matings, which yield infertile eggs and thus suppress the pest population. The development of male-only strains (also termed genetic sexing strains) has resulted in more effective control of wild populations than standard bisexual releases. A genetic sexing strain based on sex-linked pupal color exists for Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), an important agricultural pest worldwide, but how this strain might perform in a sterile insect technique program has not been thoroughly investigated. As documented for several tephritid species, artificial selection imposed via mass-rearing, particularly over long periods, may have negative effects on various biological parameters of the released flies, including flight ability and dispersion, life span, and mating competitiveness. The goal of the present study was to compare lure responsiveness, dispersal, and survival between males from genetic sexing strains and wild strains of Z. cucurbitae. Our results indicate that males of the 2 strains differed significantly in dispersal ability, but not in lure attraction or survival ability. The potential usefulness of the genetic sexing strains in sterile insect technique programs for control of Z. cucurbitae is assessed based on these findings.
Resumen
La técnica de los insectos estériles es un componente importante de los programas de área amplia para controlar las poblaciones invasoras o establecidas de tefrídas plagas. La técnica del insecto estéril implica la liberación de grandes cantidades de machos esterilizados criados en masa para lograr apareamientos estériles macho × hembra salvaje, que producen huevos infértiles y, por lo tanto, suprimen la población de la plaga. El desarrollo de cepas masculinas (también llamadas cepas de sexado genético) ha resultado en un control más efectivo de las poblaciones silvestres que las liberaciones bisexuales estándar. Existe una cepa genética de sexado basada en el color pupal vinculado al sexo para Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), una plaga agrícola importante en todo el mundo, pero no se ha investigado a fondo cómo podría funcionar esta cepa en un programa de técnica de insecto estéril. Según lo documentado para varias especies de tefritidas, la selección artificial impuesta mediante la cría en masa, particularmente durante largos períodos, puede tener efectos negativos en varios parámetros biológicos de las moscas liberadas, incluida la capacidad y dispersión del vuelo, la vida útil y la competitividad de apareamiento. El objetivo del presente estudio fue comparar la capacidad de respuesta del señuelo, la dispersión y la supervivencia entre machos de cepas genéticas de sexado y cepas salvajes de Z. cucurbitae. Nuestros resultados indican que los machos de las 2 cepas diferían significativamente en la capacidad de dispersión, pero no en la atracción de señuelos o la capacidad de sobrevivencia. En función de estos hallazgos, se evalúa la utilidad potencial de las cepas de sexado genético en los programas de técnicas de insectos estériles para el control de Z. cucurbitae.
Key Words: Zeugodacus; cucurbitae; Sterile Insect Technique; cue-lure; mark-release-recapture
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