Host influence on life history traits of Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann in an arid region of Argentina.

Abstract

The fruit fly Ceratitis capitata is a successful generalist due to the trade-off between different variables in its life history traits. The present study aimed to assess some life history traits of C. capitata recovered from peach, plum and fig, three key host species, under the climatic conditions of an irrigation oasis in the arid province of San Juan, Argentina. Pupal abundance, sex ratio and morphometric parameters such as pupal and adult weight, pupal volume, wingspan and head-caudal length were influenced by the host in which the larvae were reared. Sexual maturity, measured as the peak of calling (pheromone emission), was homogeneous on the sixth and seventh days after emergence, but males recovered from fig showed early calling activity on the third day after emergence. The plasticity of C. capitata to adapt its life history traits to specific nutrient variations within the larval environment allows it to colonise and establish populations where key hosts, as those studied here, are available. The knowledge of the interactions between host fruit trees and C. capitata populations provides helpful information for planning the management of local orchards and urban fruit plantations within irrigation oases, taking into consideration the concept of key hosts as peach and fig.