Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Their Parasitoids (Hymenoptera) in Host Plants Along Two Altitudinal Gradients in an Andean Forest of Peru.

Abstract

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are significant pests of fruit and vegetable crops worldwide. Despite their importance, some regions in South America remain under-researched regarding the fruit fly species that damage host plants and the parasitoids that provide their natural control. In this study, we investigated the interactions among host plants, fruit flies, and their larval parasitoids along two altitudinal gradients in Oxapampa, Pasco, a tropical Andean forest in Peru. Several samples of cultivable and non-cultivable ripe fruits were collected from ten orchards at low (800-950 m above sea level) and high (1750-1900 m above sea level) altitudes over a 2-year period. At high altitudes, we identified seven plant species hosting fruit flies. From these infested fruits, four species of Anastrepha and Ceratitis capitata emerged, while Doryctobracon crawfordii, D. areolatus, Utetes anastrephae, and Opius sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) emerged from parasitizing fruit fly larvae. At low altitudes, eleven host plant species of fruit flies were identified, yielding seven Anastrepha species and parasitoids including D. crawfordii, D. areolatus, D. zeteki, and Ganaspis pelleranoi (Hymenoptera: Figitidae). We provide the first record of D. zetekii emerging from A. kulhmanni in South American sapote (Quararibea cordata), as well as the first extensive documentation of parasitoids in Anastrepha-infested fruits in Peru. Our findings enhance the limited knowledge of fruit flies and parasitoids on host plants in the Andean regions of South America, providing a baseline for future biological control practices in these environments.