title: Melon Fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae), Infestation in Host Fruits in the Southwestern Islands of Japan Before the Initiation of Island-wide Population Suppression, as Recorded in Publications of Japanese Public Institutions.
abstract: Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) is a tephritid fruit fly native to the Indo-Malayan region. Its distribution, though, has extended to include Africa, temperate Asia, and a number of Pacific islands. It became established in Japan in 1919 in the Yaeyama Islands and spread north in the Southwestern Islands of Japan. It was subsequently eradicated from these islands by an eradication program that extended from 1972 to 1993. As part of an effort to develop a worldwide database on the status of fruits as hosts of melon fly, the infestation data gathered from host fruits collected in this eradication program, before the initiation of suppression activities, are summarized here. Bactrocera cucurbitae infestation was documented in 24 plant taxa of four plant families (Caricaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Moraceae, and Solanaceae), with the following four new hosts identified: Ficus erecta Thunb., F. pumila L. (Moraceae), Solanum erianthum D. Don (Solanaceae), and Zehneria liukiuensis Jeffrey ex Walker (Cucurbitaceae).
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Hilo, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Grant T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: McQuate
authors.affiliation: AW-Insect Pest Management Consulting, 112 Kochi, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Teruya
keywords: Bactrocera cucurbitae; eradication; fruit fly; host plant; infestation; melon fly
references.citation: Annu Rev Entomol. 2004;49:331-49
references.pmid: 14651467
references.citation: J Insect Sci. 2005 Dec 06;5:40
references.pmid: 17119622