Occurrence of Ceratitis Capitata and Anastrepha Fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) on Cultivated, Exotic Fruit Species in the Highland Valleys of Tucuman in Northwest Argentina (Report‪)‬

In Argentina, the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and the South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) are serious polyphagous pests that attack several plant families. The medfly is widely distributed throughout Argentina (Guillen & Sanchez 2007). The native A. fraterculus is mainly restricted to NW Argentina (Tucuman, Salta, Jujuy, and Catamarca), NE Argentina (Misiones, Corrientes, and Entre Rios) and fruit-producing areas of La Rioja, San Juan, and Buenos Aires (Central Argentina) (Guillen & Sanchez 2007). Anastrepha fraterculus attacks approximately 80 species (Norrbom 2004), and C. capitata attacks more than 300 species throughout the world (Copeland et al. 2002). Previous reports have not always followed procedures to determine host unequivocally; a host record should state if the infestation occurred under natural conditions (i.e., field), or when fruit is artificially exposed to female flies, and it is necessary to verify if the larvae complete development in the fruit and pupate and if the emerging adults produce viable progeny (Cowley et al. 1992; Aluja et al. 2004).