Ceratitis capitata
Common name
Mediterranean fruit fly
Description
Typical of Ceratitis larvae with the following specific characteristics for the third instar:
Body. Larvae medium-sized. Body length 3.9–8.7mm.
Head. Stomal organ: 3 small peg sensilla. Other peg-sensilla-like structures absent. Stomal region: secondary lobes present (4–5 preoral lobes); petal-like. Number of oral ridges ranges 8–13 (8–12~LEC, n=30; 9–13~WEH), but most often in range of 9–11; margins serrate, or scalloped (short, bluntly rounded teeth).
Cephalopharyngeal skeleton. Length 1.06-1.11 mm. Mandibles: mandibular tooth ventrally grooved, minute subapical tooth present or absent. mandible tip to notch 0.53–0.57 mm, dorsal cornu length 0.27–0.43 mm, ventral cornu length 0.69–0.73 mm; mandible length a 0.21–0.23 mm, mandible length b 0.20–0.22 mm, mandible length c 0.14–0.15 mm, mandible height 0.14–0.16 mm; hypopharyngeal sclerite length 0.16–0.17 mm, dorsal arch height 0.25–0.29 mm;
Spinules and creeping welts. Dorsal spinules on segments T1-T3 (rarely on A1); broken rows of weak, conical spinules on dorsal anterior margin; on T1 the spinulose area encircles the body, while on T2-T3 the ventral spinulose area is separated from that of the dorsum.
Caudal segment (a8) and anal lobes. Anal lobes plainly visible, but not protuberant; simple, subequal; entire or grooved.
Anterior spiracles. Anterior spiracular tubules 9-12 (~Cals-Uscati 1972 & LEC, n=30; 8–10~WEH); in a single, slightly sinuous row; distal width 0.16–0.19 mm (n = 8); base of anterior spiracle cylindrical, ca. half as wide as apical width.
Posterior spiracles. Posterior spiracles: rimae .07-.08 mm long; slits 2.5–3x longer than wide (about). Spiracular processes of medium length, mostly unbranched, with narrow bases. Number of dorsal spiracular processes 6–9. Number of ventral spiracular processes 6–9. Number of lateral spiracular processes 4–6.
Condensed diagnosis from Steck and Ekesi (2015):
Medium-sized muscidiform larvae with mandibular tooth ventrally grooved, minute subapical mandibular tooth present or absent; with 8-12 oral ridges; accessory plates absent; petal-like secondary stomal lobes present; sclerotized stomal guards absent; dorsal spinules present on segments T1-T3; anterior spiracles with 9-12 tubules in a single sinuous row; base of anterior spiracle cylindrical, ca. half as wide as apical width; posterior spiracles with rimae ca. 3 times longer than wide; spiracular processes mostly unbranched, with narrow bases; caudal ridge present; anal lobes entire or grooved, lobes subequal.
Host plants
Highly polyphagous, infesting at least the following families and genera:*| Family | Genus |
| Actinidaceae | Actinidia |
| Anacardiaceae | Anacardium, Harpephyllum, Mangifera, Spondias |
| Annonaceae | Annona, Artabotrys, Cananga |
| Apocynaceae | Acokanthera, Calotropis, Carissa, Hancornia, Ochrosia |
| Araceae | Syngonium |
| Arecaceae | Arenga, Butia, Latania, Phoenix |
| Asparagaceae | Asparagus |
| Bignoniaceae | Parmentiera |
| Boraginaceae | Bourreria, Cordia, Ehretia |
| Cactaceae | Opuntia, Pereskia |
| Calophyllaceae | Calophyllum |
| Cannabaceae | Celtis |
| Capparaceae | Capparicordis, Capparis, |
| Caricaceae | Carica |
| Celastraceae | Elaeodendron, Salacia |
| Chrysobalanaceae | Chrysobalanus, Licania |
| Clusiaceae | Garcinia |
| Combretaceae | Terminalia |
| Corynocarpaceae | Corynocarpus |
| Cucurbitaceae | Coccinia, Corallocarpus, Cucumis, Cucurbitella, Cyclanthera, Lagenaria, Momordica, Peponium |
| Ebenaceae | Diospyros, Euclea |
| Elaeocarpaceae | Elaeocarpus |
| Ericaceae | Arbutus, Vaccinium |
| Euphorbiaceae | Drypetes |
| Fabaceae | Geoffroea, Inga, Pithecellobium |
| Flagellariaceae | Flagellaria |
| Goodeniaceae | Scaevola |
| Juglandaceae | Carya, Juglans |
| Lauraceae | Cinnamomum, Persea |
| Loganiaceae | Strychnos |
| Lythraceae | Punica |
| Malpighiaceae | Byrsonima, Malpighia |
| Malvaceae | Gossypium, Grewia, Matisia, Sterculia, Theobroma |
| Melastomataceae | Mouriri |
| Meliaceae | Sandoricum |
| Moraceae | Antiaris, Artocarpus, Ficus, Morus, Sorocea |
| Muntingiaceae | Muntingia |
| Musaceae | Musa |
| Myrtaceae | Acca, Campomanesia, Eugenia, Hexachlamys, Myrcianthes, Plinia, Psidium, Syzygium |
| Olacaceae | Ximenia |
| Oleaceae | Noronhia, Olea, |
| Opiliaceae | Opilia, Pentarhopalopilia |
| Oxalidaceae | Averrhoa |
| Passifloraceae | Passiflora |
| Phyllanthaceae | Antidesma, Phyllanthus, |
| Phyllanthoideae | Flueggea |
| Podocarpaceae | Podocarpus |
| Polygonaceae | Coccoloba |
| Rhamnaceae | Frangula, Ziziphus |
| Rosaceae | Crataegus, Cydonia, Eriobotrya, Fragaria, Malus, Mespilus, Prunus, Pyrus, Rosa, Rubus |
| Rubiaceae | Coffea, Guettarda, Lamprothamnus, Oxyanthus, Polysphaeria, Vangueria |
| Rutaceae | Citrus, Clausena, Fortunella, Harrisonia, Murraya, Poncirus, Triphasia, Vepris |
| Salicaceae | Dovyalis, Flacourtia, Ludia |
| Salvadoraceae | Azima |
| Santalaceae | Santalum |
| Sapindaceae | Blighia, Dimocarpus, Filicium, Litchi |
| Sapotaceae | Argania, Chrysophyllum, Englerophytum, Manilkara, Mimusops, Pouteria, Sideroxylon, Synsepalum |
| Simaroubaceae | Brucea |
| Simmondsiaceae | Simmondsia |
| Solanaceae | Capsicum, Cestrum, Lycium, Physalis, Salpichroa, Solanum |
| Thymelaeaceae | Wikstroemia |
| Urticaceae | Myrianthus |
| Verbenaceae | Citharexylum |
| Vitaceae | Vitis |
Part of plant attacked: fruit.
Biogeographic region and distribution
Afrotropical, Australasian, Palearctic, Neotropical
Tropical Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion; introduced North Africa, s. Europe, Middle East, Neotropics, w. Australia, Hawaii.
Adult taxonomy
Ceratitis (Ceratitis) capitata (Wiedemann)Tephritis capitata Wiedemann 1824: 55.—India orient., mare indico [probably Is. of Indian Ocean]. T ♂ UZMC. Type data (Wiedemann 1830: 496, Zimsen 1954: 28).
Ceratitis citriperda MacLeay 1829: 482.—Azores. St. Michael [Sao Miguel]. ST ♂♀ MMS.
Ceratitis hispanica Breme 1842: 188.—Spain. Malaga: environs of Malaga. ST ♂♀ IMZ?
Pardalaspis asparagi Bezzi 1924: 480.—South Africa. Cape: East London. HT ♀ SANC.
Ceratitis citripeda Efflatoun 1924: 47.—missp. citriperda MacLeay.
References
Carroll, L. E., A. L. Norrbom, M. J. Dallwitz, and F. C. Thompson. 2004 onwards. Pest fruit flies of the world – larvae. Version: 8th December 2006. http://delta-intkey.com.
Liquido, N. J., G. T. McQuate, M. A. Hanlin, and K. A. Suiter. 2017. Host plants of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Version 3.5. Available online at: USDA Compendium of Fruit Fly Host Information (CoFFHI), Edition 3.0, https://coffhi.cphst.org/.
Steck, G. J., and S. Ekesi. 2015. Description of third instar larvae of Ceratitis fasciventris, C. anonae, C. rosa(FAR complex) and C. capitata(Diptera, Tephritidae). ZooKeys, (540), 443.
