Patterns of resource distribution among conspecific larvae in two fruit fly species: Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)

LIENDO, MARÍA C.; DEVESCOVI, FRANCISCO; BOCA, TERESA; CLADERA, JORGE L.; VERA, MARIA T.; SEGURA, DIEGO F.

AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2016 vol. 18 p. 349 - 356

1461-9555

1 Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) are fruit fly pests whose larvae are frequently found sharing a fruit with conspecifics. As larvae are incapable of leaving the fruit in search of non-infested fruit, they are forced to share nutritional resources, and eventually compete for them with other larvae. 2 Here we studied the effect of intraspecific competition on the development of A. fraterculus and C. capitata larvae, and compared the strategies adopted by these species. 3 To this end, newly hatched larvae were transferred into a container with a fixed amount of larval diet at increasing larval densities and several developmental parameters were measured. 4 The two species showed similarities and differences in the way in which they responded to an increasing density. In A. fraterculus pupal weight and the duration of the larval stage decreased as the competition levels increased. Larvae of C. capitata showed a consistent reduction in pupal weight and in larval survival as larval density increased. In A. fraterculus the reduction in pupal weight was heterogeneous, with most pupae showing a marked decrease in weight and only few pupae showing slight negative effects or no effect at all, whereas in C. capitata, the reduction was similar for all the pupae.5 The differences in the way in which these species responded to competition might evidence a different pattern of resource distribution among conspecific larvae. The implication of these findings on oviposition behavior and life history of the two species is discussed.