Flight Height and Diversity of Anastrepha (Diptera: Tephritidae) in an Anthropic Environment.

Several fruit fly species are pest of fruit production in subtropical and tropical countries such as Brazil. Data about the fruit fly communities are relevant for understanding ecological aspects such as population dynamics, abundance, richness, and diversity. In these surveys, Multilure traps were hung about 2 m height accessible to collectors. Practically there are no data on the dynamics of fruit fly species in higher positions. Thus, a comparative analysis was performed to assess the influence of the Multilure traps height, 2 m and 10 m, to collect Anastrepha species in the agricultural and forest environments. The abundance of Anastrepha species was compared using GLM multivariate analysis and species diversity using Hill numbers for each tested height. The heat map graph, based on the Euclidean distance, was used to assess the interaction of species at each height. A total of 1080 females of Anastrepha were captured, with 722 and 358 specimens collected in traps hung at 10 and 2 m height, respectively. Fourteen species were collected, with most identified as A. fraterculus (Wiedemann) (lato sensu) (n = 435) and A. obliqua (Macquart) (n = 388). Species diversity of Anastrepha was greater at 2 m than at 10 m, as were the values of diversity indices corresponding to richness (q = 0), Shannon (q = 1), and Simpson (q = 2). We conclude that evaluations of aspects related to the distribution of Anastrepha species at different heights should be adopted in fruit fly population monitoring programs as a management strategy for pest species.

Integrative approach reveals the identity of Brazilian specimens previously recognized as Anastrepha dissimilis Stone, 1942 (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Anastrepha dissimilis is currently considered to be widely distributed in Brazil, occurring in 20 of 27 states. However, morphological differences between the holotype (from Plaisance, Haiti) and a paratype (from Pernambuco, Brazil) suggest that the Brazilian specimens are not A. dissimilis, because their aculeus tip is similar to the paratype not to the holotype. Therefore, considering the importance of integrative taxonomy for species delimitation, we used geometric and linear morphometrics and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences integrated with the morphology of the aculeus tip to clarify the identity of populations previously identified as A. dissimilis from multiple Brazilian localities. Morphological data show a uniform pattern among the Brazilian populations, with some variation among specimens from the south and northeast. In addition, the geometric and linear morphometrics suggest considerable geographic variation among these populations, suggesting the existence of at least two morphs. The molecular analysis revealed that specimens from Brazil previously identified as A. dissimilis belong to Anastrepha chiclayae Greene, with a genetic distance ranging from 0.00 to 0.015%. According to our integrative analyses, specimens from Brazil formerly identified as A. dissimilis actually are A. chiclayae. Therefore, this is the first record of A. chiclayae in Brazil, and we also report that A. dissimilis does not occur in Brazil.

Integrative taxonomy and phylogeography of Telenomus remus (Scelionidae), with the first record of natural parasitism of Spodoptera spp. in Brazil.

The egg parasitoid Telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) has been investigated for classical and applied biological control of noctuid pests, especially Spodoptera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) species. Although T. remus was introduced into Brazil over three decades ago for classical biological control of S. frugiperda, this wasp has not been recorded as established in corn or soybean crops. We used an integrative approach to identify T. remus, combining a taxonomic key based on the male genitalia with DNA barcoding, using a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene fragment. This is the first report of natural parasitism of T. remus on S. frugiperda and S. cosmioides eggs at two locations in Brazil. We also confirmed that the T. remus lineage in Brazil derives from a strain in Venezuela (originally from Papua New Guinea and introduced into the Americas, Africa, and Asia). The occurrence of T. remus parasitizing S. frugiperda and S. cosmioides eggs in field conditions, not associated with inundative releases, suggests that the species has managed to establish itself in the field in Brazil. This opens possibilities for future biological control programs, since T. remus shows good potential for mass rearing and egg parasitism of important agricultural pests such as Spodoptera species.

Phylogenomic approach reveals strong signatures of introgression in the rapid diversification of neotropical true fruit flies (Anastrepha: Tephritidae).

New sequencing techniques have allowed us to explore the variation on thousands of genes and elucidate evolutionary relationships of lineages even in complex scenarios, such as when there is rapid diversification. That seems to be the case of species in the genus Anastrepha, which shows great species diversity that has been divided into 21 species groups, several of which show wide geographical distribution. The fraterculus group has several economically important species and it is also an outstanding model for speciation studies, since it includes several lineages that have diverged recently possibly in the presence of interspecific gene flow. Our main goal is to test whether we can infer phylogenetic relationships of recently diverged taxa with gene flow, such as what is expected for the fraterculus group and determine whether certain genes remain informative even in this complex scenario. An analysis of thousands of orthologous genes derived from transcriptome datasets of 10 different lineages across the genus, including some of the economically most important pests, revealed signals of incomplete lineage sorting, vestiges of ancestral introgression between more distant lineages and ongoing gene flow between closely related lineages. Though these patterns affect the phylogenetic signal, the phylogenomic inferences consistently show that the morphologically identified species here investigated are in different evolutionary lineages, with the sole exception involving Brazilian lineages of A. fraterculus, which has been suggested to be a complex assembly of cryptic species. A tree space analysis suggested that genes with greater phylogenetic resolution have evolved under similar selection pressures and are more resilient to intraspecific gene flow, which would make it more likely that these genomic regions may be useful for identifying fraterculus group lineages. Our findings help establish relationships among the most important Anastrepha species groups, as well as bring further data to indicate that the diversification of fraterculus group lineages, and even other lineages in the genus Anastrepha, has been strongly influenced by interspecific gene flow.

A new species of emDoryctobracon/em Enderlein (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) parasitizing larvae of emAnastrepha/em Schiner (Diptera, Tephritidae), with illustrated key to species of emDoryctobracon/em that parasitize fruit-infesting tephritids in Brazil.

Doryctobracon maculatus Marinho, a new species of Braconidae (Opiinae) collected in the municipalities of Piracicaba and São Roque, state of São Paulo, Brazil, is described and illustrated. This new species is placed in group of species with areolate propodeum, but is easily distinguished from other species of this group, and other members of the genus by the noticeable black to dark-brown spots on the head, mesosoma and metasoma. This new species was reared in larvae of Anastrepha pseudoparallela (Diptera, Tephritidae) in passion fruits, Passiflora alata Curtis (Passifloraceae). An illustrated key to species of Doryctobracon recorded in Brazil is presented.

Annotated checklist and illustrated key to the species of Trichogramma Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) from South America.

A checklist is provided for all 43 species of Trichogramma recorded in South America, including diagnoses, comments, hosts, and distributions. A key to the South American species based on males (external morphology and genitalia) is also presented. Trichogramma koehleri Blanchard is here placed as species inquirenda.

Genetic structure and diversity in Brazilian populations of Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart), the West Indian fruit fly, is one of the most economically important pest species in the Neotropical region. It infests an extensive range of host plants that include over 60 species. The geographic range of A. obliqua is from northern Mexico to southern Brazil and includes the Caribbean Islands. Previous molecular studies have revealed significant genetic structure among populations. We used sequences from a fragment of the mitochondrial protein-coding gene cytochrome c oxidase I to estimate structure and genetic diversity of A. obliqua populations from Brazil. We analyzed a total of 153 specimens from the Amazon Forest, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Caatinga biomes. Our study revealed weak genetic structure among the A. obliqua Brazilian populations sampled. Collections from the Amazon Forest had similar haplotype diversity compared to previously reported estimates for collections from the Caribbean and both populations are also closely related to each other, thus challenging the hypothesis that A. obliqua originated in the Caribbean and then moved to other regions of the Americas. Therefore, further evidence is necessary to draw a definite conclusion about the putative center of origin for A. obliqua. Additionally, we suggest a putative historical migration from the west to the east for the A. obliqua Brazilian populations, which could explain the high genetic diversity for this fly in the Amazon Forest and low genetic diversity in the other Brazilian biomes.

Annotated checklist and illustrated key to braconid parasitoids (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) of economically important fruit flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) in Brazil.

The braconid parasitoids of fruit-infesting flies have been more intensively studied from the middle to late 1990s, when taxonomic research was restarted in Brazil. At the same time, efforts toward the biological control of fruit flies intensified, and an exotic species, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata, was introduced. In the decade 2010, another exotic species, Fopius arisanus, was introduced, and two new species of Doryctobracon were described.  Currently, 12 species of braconids from the subfamilies Alysiinae (two species) and Opiinae (10 species) are associated with fruit flies of economic importance in Brazil, two of which are introduced species. More than half of the species belong to the genus Doryctobracon, with D. areolatus (Szépligeti) the most widely distributed species in Brazil.

Description of two new species closely related to Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti, 1911) (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), based on morphometric and molecular analyses.

This study clarifies the identity of two morphs that appear similar but not identical to the braconid wasp Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), by analyses of fore wing morphometry and the ITS2 and D2 region of 28S ribosomal DNA. Wing measurements of D. areolatus and the two morphs, one with a yellow stigma and one with a brown stigma, from several Brazilian localities, were taken and subjected to geometric morphometry. Evaluation of 20 anatomical points on the fore wing by means of multivariate analysis revealed that these morphs consistently differ from D. areolatus. Intraspecific size variation in both molecular markers (ITS2 and 28S-D2 rDNA) was also detected among populations of D. areolatus from the states of Amapá, São Paulo, Goiás, and Tocantins, but no such difference was observed among samples of the two morphs. However, high sequence variability was observed for both markers among D. areolatus and these morphs. Morphometric analysis yielded similar results and produced dendrogram congruent with those based on the molecular markers, also indicating that D. areolatus corresponds to a complex of cryptic species. Therefore, our morphometric and molecular data, in addition to revealing that D. areolatus includes cryptic species, showed that the unidentified morphs actually represent two distinct, previously undescribed species of Doryctobracon. These new taxa are formally described herein, as D. whartoni sp. nov. and D. adaimei sp. nov.

New species, notes and new records of Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in Brazil.

Two new species of Trichogramma are described: Trichogramma piracicabense sp. nov. and T. valmiri sp. nov. Additionally, T. manicobai from eggs of the cassava hornworm Erinnyis ello is redescribed, and new records on the distribution and host associations of species of Trichogramma from Brazil are presented.

Redescription, lectotype designation and new records of Anastrepha luederwaldti Lima (Diptera, Tephritidae).

The previously poorly known species Anastrepha luederwaldti Lima, 1934 is redescribed based on a reexamination of the syntypes from São Paulo and additional specimens from Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A lectotype is designated.

Temporal Overlap and Co-Occurrence in a Guild of Sub-Tropical Tephritid Fruit Flies.

Studies of community assembly have emphasized snapshot comparisons of spatially replicated samples from "natural" assemblages. Agro-ecosystems are characterized by relatively little habitat heterogeneity and no dispersal barriers for actively flying insects. Therefore, dynamic patterns of species segregation and aggregation are more likely to reflect the direct or indirect effects of species interactions. We studied the temporal organization of a guild of 21 congeneric species of Anastrepha that colonized fruit orchards in Monte Alegre do Sul, São Paulo, Brazil. This assemblage also included the introduced Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata. One hundred six consecutive weekly censuses (11 Jan 2002-16 Jan 2004) of flies in guava, loquat, and peach orchards revealed a pattern of minimum abundance during the coldest months of each year (June and July) and a maximum abundance during periods of flowering and fruit ripening. Overall, phenological overlap was greater than expected by chance. However, conditioned on the pattern of seasonal abundances, temporal occurrence and abundance matrices exhibited patterns of significant species segregation and anti-nestedness. In each year, the 3 orchards contained a small number of species pairs that exhibited statistically significant temporal segregation or aggregation. Most aggregated and segregated pairs reflected seasonal shifts in species presences that were not related to variation in air temperature. Most of the significant pairwise associations involved C. capitata: 8 of the 11 segregated pairs and 2 of the 7 aggregated pairs. These results suggest that species interactions between introduced and native species can be an important determinant of species associations in agro-ecosystems.

Redescription of three species of Anastrepha (Diptera, Tephritidae) rediscovered in Brazil, with the establishment of a new synonym.

The descriptions of Anastrepha matertela Zucchi and A. tenella Zucchi were based exclusively on the holotypes (female). Based on additional specimens collected in Brazil since their original descriptions, both species are redescribed and illustrated. A lectotype is designated for Anastrepha bivittata (Macquart, 1843), which also is redescribed and considered to be the senior synonym of A. fumipennis Lima, 1934. 

On the identity of Trichogramma demoraesi Nagaraja (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), with a checklist and a key to Trichogramma species associated with Erinnyis ello (L.) (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) in Brazil.

Specimens collected from eggs of the cassava hornworm Erinnyis ello, originally identified as T. demoraesi, were compared with the paratype of this species. Based on morphological analysis, the specimens from E. ello actually belong to Trichogramma marandobai Brun, Moraes and Soares, 1986. Therefore, T. demoraesi is not a parasitoid of the eggs of E. ello, a major pest of cassava. The main features separating the two species, and a checklist and key to the species of Trichogramma associated with E. ello are presented.

Geometric morphometry and molecular analysis clarified the identity of Opius sp. aff. bellus (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), a fruit fly parasitoid in Brazil.

The aim of this study was to clarify the identity of specimens designated as Opius sp. aff. bellus using geometric morphometry and analysis of the ITS2 region of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and region D2 of the 28S rDNA. Opius bellus Gahan is a koinobiont endoparasitoid of fruit fly larvae (Diptera: Tephritidae) exclusively found in the Neotropical region, but widely distributed from Mexico to Argentina. Opius sp. aff. bellus is morphologically similar to Opius bellus but exhibits yellowish, instead of dark-brown, posterior tibiae. Twenty anatomical landmarks on the wings from these two taxa sampled from three Brazilian states were analyzed. Multivariate morphometric analysis showed a large amount of morphological similarity between the specimens, indicating they are the same species. Sequence analysis of the ITS2 showed that intrapopulation variability was similar to interpopulation variability and that the morphotypes were also highly similar. In addition, the D2 region of the 28S rDNA displayed high similarity between sequences. Therefore, based on morphometric and molecular analyses, specimens thought to be Opius sp. aff. bellus actually belong to O. bellus. 

First record of Anastrepha pseudanomala Norrbom (Diptera: Tephritidae) and its host in Brazil

Anastrepha pseudanomala Norrbom was reared in fruits of Couma utilis (Apocynaceae), and also collected in McPhail traps in Ferreira Gomes county, State of Amapá, Brazil.

First record of Anastrepha pseudanomala Norrbom (Diptera: Tephritidae) and its host in Brazil.

Anastrepha pseudanomala Norrbom was reared in fruits of Couma utilis (Apocynaceae), and also collected in McPhail traps in Ferreira Gomes county, State of Amapá, Brazil.

[Parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the State of São Paulo, Brazil: associated plants and parasitism]. / Parasitóides (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) de moscas-das-frutas (Diptera: Tephritidae) no Estado de São Paulo: plantas associadas e parasitismo.

A total of 3,008 braconid parasitoids in 26 species of fruit fly host plants were collected in 33 localities of São Paulo State. The majority of the braconids (96.2%) belonged to four Opiinae species, Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), Doryctobracon brasiliensis (Szépligeti), Opius bellus (Gahan) and Utetes anastrephae (Viereck), and the remaining 3.8%, a single species of Alysiinae, Asobara anastrephae (Muesebeck). Doryctobracon areolatus was collected on Anastrepha fraterculus (Wied), A. obliqua (Macquart) and A. amita Zucchi, and was found associated with the largest number of fruit fly host plant species (26), being recorded for the first time in fruits of Clausena lansium and Cryptocarya aschersoniana. This species was the most common, occurring in most of the sampled localities, totaling 77.5% of all parasitoids collected. Doryctobracon brasiliensis was associated only with A. fraterculus and recorded, for the first time, in Japanese plum (Prunus salicina). It was not possible to associate the remaining braconids to the fruit fly species. Opius bellus was also reared from larvae in C. aschersoniana. The natural parasitism percentage ranged from <1% to 40%.