Frugivorous Flies (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) Hosts in the State of Bahia, Brazil and registers of new bitrophic interactions

ABSTRACT

Larvae of Lonchaeidae flies (Tephritoidea) are found in decaying organic material (trunks, branches and leaves), flower buds are attacked by Dasiops frieseni Norrbom & McAlpine, 1997, damaged fruits as well as ripe and green ones of oranges and passion fruits, all infested by Neosilba zadolicha McAlpine & Steyskal, 1982 (Strikis et al., 2011). In Brazil three genera of Lonchaeidae have been found Dasiops Rondani (1856), Neosilba McAlpine (1962) and Lonchaea Fallén (1820). Neosilba and Dasiops are the most important from an economic point of view, once they include the majority of frugivorous flies (Strikis et al., 2011). The main purpose of this work was to extend the knowledge over Lonchaeidae species and their hosts in the State of Bahia, Brazil and new bitrophic interactions. In the following municipalities of the State of Bahia, Brazil Barra do Choça (14°44 S, 40°26 W), Jiquiriçá (13°16 S, 39°34 W; 13°17 S, 39°34 W and 13°11 S, 39°33” W), Laje (13°13 S, 39°25 W), Planalto (13°15 S, 39°43 W), Camamu (13°58 S, 39°08 W and 13°58S, 39°11 W) and Wenceslau Guimarães (13°15 S, 39°43 W), from March 2013 through June 2015 were collected fruits belonging to 32 plants species and flower buds of yellow passion fruit, according to its availability in the crop fields. Fruits and flower buds were weighed, counted and displaced in plastic trays. After 12 days the pupae were conditioned in plastic pots containing vermiculite until the emergence of the adults that were preserved in plastic vials containing ethanol 70%.(AU)