title: Morphometric Differentiation Among Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) Exploiting Sympatric Alternate Hosts.
abstract: Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) is currently considered a complex of cryptic species infesting fruits from Mexico to Argentina and represents an interesting biological model for evolutionary studies. Moreover, detecting and quantifying behavioral, morphological, and genetic differentiation among populations is also relevant to the application of environment-friendly control programs. Here, phenotypic differentiation among individuals coexisting in the wild in a Northern region of Argentina was unveiled and associated with host choice. Six morphometric traits were measured in sympatric flies exploiting three different host species. Phenotypic variation was shown to be host-dependent regardless of geographical or temporal overlap. Flies collected from synchronous alternate hosts (peach and walnut) differed from each other despite the lack of geographical isolation. By contrast, flies emerging from guavas that ripen about two months later than peach and walnut showed no significant differentiation in comparison to flies collected from walnuts, but they differ significantly from flies originating from peaches. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that the same population of flies shifts from walnuts to guavas throughout the year, whereas the population of flies that uses peaches as a host is probably exploiting other alternate hosts when peach availability decreases. Further research is needed to study the underlying mechanism. Results are consistent with previous molecular markers (inter-simple sequence repeat-ISSR) research on flies stemming from the same hosts and the same area, suggesting that differentiation among flies emerging from alternative hosts occurs at both genetic and phenotypic levels. The contribution of host preference in long-term genetic differentiation is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética de Poblaciones Aplicada, Depto. Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA (paugomez@ege.fcen.uba.ar; lpaulin@ege.fcen.uba.ar; vilardi@ege.fcen.uba.ar), Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) - CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA, paugomez@ege.fcen.uba.ar.
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Gómez-Cendra
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética de Poblaciones Aplicada, Depto. Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA (paugomez@ege.fcen.uba.ar; lpaulin@ege.fcen.uba.ar; vilardi@ege.fcen.uba.ar), Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) - CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Paulin
authors.affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Chilecito. 9 de Julio 22, Chilecito, La Rioja, Argentina, F5360CKB (eduardorono@yahoo.com.ar), and Laboratorio de Investigaciones Ecoetológicas de Moscas de la Fruta y sus Enemigos Naturales, División Control Biológico, Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos y Biotecnología (PROIMI) - CCT Tucumán - CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina, T4001MVB (sovruski@proimi.org.ar).
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oroño
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Investigaciones Ecoetológicas de Moscas de la Fruta y sus Enemigos Naturales, División Control Biológico, Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos y Biotecnología (PROIMI) - CCT Tucumán - CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina, T4001MVB (sovruski@proimi.org.ar).
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ovruski
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética de Poblaciones Aplicada, Depto. Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA (paugomez@ege.fcen.uba.ar; lpaulin@ege.fcen.uba.ar; vilardi@ege.fcen.uba.ar), Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) - CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Vilardi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D005075:Biological Evolution; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D060434:Herbivory; D031324:Juglans / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D000068239:Prunus persica / Q000254:growth & development; D031647:Psidium / Q000254:growth & development; D061350:Sympatry; D033621:Tephritidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Bayesian analysis; South American fruit fly; host-race; morphometry; speciation