Insects · Diptera · Tephritidae

Mediterranean Fruit Fly

Ceratitis capitata

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

Ceratitis capitata is a brachyceran fly of the family Tephritidae, originally from the west coast of Africa, where very closely related species live. From there it spread to temperate, subtropical and tropical climates in both hemispheres. It is regarded as a cosmopolitan species because of its present worldwide spread, due in large part to the growth of the global fruit trade.

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

GrasslandHerbivore Diurnal Solitary Insect Grassland

64countries

Fun facts

It attacks more than 300 species of fruit, vegetable and nut: the widest host range known in any fruit fly.
It is fought mainly with the sterile insect technique: in the United States some 400 million sterile flies are released each month in the at-risk areas of Florida and 200 million in the Los Angeles basin.
In the Valencian Community a pilot programme using that technique cut the wild population by more than 90 % between 2003 and 2006.
It is a quarantine pest: if it is detected in the United States an eradication programme is triggered, because fruit from infested areas cannot be exported to pest-free ones.
Climate projections suggest its European range will grow by 42 % by 2050 compared with 2020.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Invertebrate - chitin exoskeleton (insect)
Habitat & environment: Tropical, subtropical and warm-temperate fruit-growing areas; the female lays her eggs under the skin of the fruit and the larva develops inside the flesh
Gestation / incubation: From egg to adult in about 21 days

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratitis_capitata