Solanum torvum (Solanaceae), a New Host of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii

Abstract

In Hawaii, Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, populations at low elevations have been displaced to higher elevation hosts by oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis. That displacement, however, is not complete, as C. capitata coexists with B. dorsalis at a number of low elevation sites. Turkeyberry, Solanum torvum Sw, is a lower elevation noxious weed that has been spreading in Hawaii. Tephritid fruit fly infestation of this plant is predominantly by Bactrocera latifrons. However, turkeyberry fruits in Hawaii can also be infested by oriental fruit fly and, reported here for the first time, by Mediterranean fruit fly. If S. torvum continues to spread in Hawaii, it will continue to be a potential low elevation wild host for C. capitata as well as for B. dorsalis and B. latifrons.