Olive fruit fly
| Olive fruit fly | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Adult on leaf | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Tephritidae |
| Genus: | Bactrocera |
| Subgenus: | Daculus |
| Species: | B. oleae |
| Binomial name | |
|
Bactrocera oleae (Rossi, 1790) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Dacus oleae (Rossi, 1790) |
|
Dacus oleae (Rossi, 1790)
Dacus oleae var. flaviventris Guercio, 1900
Dacus oleae var. funesta Guercio, 1900
Musca oleae Rossi, 1790
The olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae, Dacus oleae) is a species of fruit fly which belongs to the Dacinae subfamily. It is a phytophagous species, whose larvae feed on the fruit of olive trees, hence the common name. It is considered a serious pest in the cultivation of olives.
Until 1998, the fly had not been detected in the United States, and its range coincided with the range of the olive tree in the Eastern Hemisphere: northern, eastern and southern Africa, Southern Europe, Canary Islands, India, and western Asia. In the Western Hemisphere, it is currently restricted to California. The olive fruit fly was first detected in North America infesting olive fruits on landscape trees in Los Angeles County in November 1998. It can now be found throughout the state. Its likely source of importation was from France.
The olive fruit fly received notoriety in the US in 2009 when funding for research designed to prevent infestation sponsored by Representative Mike Thompson received public attention as alleged federal pork barrel spending from persons who failed to understand its agricultural purpose.
This species is associated with plants of the Olea genus. It is found throughout the Mediterranean basin and in South Africa. Since the late 1990s, it has also been present in California and has possibly spread throughout the area of olive cultivation in the Nearctic region. It is considered the most serious pest towards olives in regions where it presides, significantly affecting both the amount and quality of production in most olive growing areas.
The impact of its attacks tend to worsen in the more humid and cooler growing areas, with significant variations depending on the variety grown, where it affects olive cultivars and areas which have hot summers and less drought.
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Wikipedia