The vinegar fly Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is an invasive species that attacks ripening fruits and berries, leading to considerable losses in fruit production. So far, management mainly relies on chemical and cultural control, but additional measures such as biological control are needed. Hence, for the development of sustainable control measures of this pest it is important to identify potential natural enemies such as generalist predators that feed on D. suzukii. Here, we established a simple and cost-effective assay to specifically detect D. suzukii DNA in the guts of arthropod predators. Furthermore, we developed a general Drosophila spp. primer pair to identify predators of Drosophila species in general that might also feed on D. suzukii and to compare predation rates on D. suzukii to those of other Drosophila species. We applied the assays to field-collected predators and identified three predator taxa—earwigs, spiders and predatory bugs—that had fed on D. suzukii. The assays provide a first step towards unravelling the predator community attacking D. suzukii that should be considered as biological control agents but also as non-targets potentially affected by other measures to control this invasive pest.

A simple and cost-effective molecular method to track predation on Drosophila suzukii in the field

The vinegar flies Drosophila subobscura and D. obscura frequently serve as study organisms for evolutionary biology. Their high morphological similarity renders traditional species determination difficult, especially when living specimens for setting up laboratory populations need to be identified. Here we test the usefulness of cuticular chemical profiles collected via the non-invasive method near-infrared spectroscopy for discriminating live individuals of the two species. We find a classification success for wild-caught specimens of 85%. The species specificity of the chemical profiles persists in laboratory offspring (87–92% success). Thus, we conclude that the cuticular chemistry is genetically determined, despite changes in the cuticular fingerprints, which we interpret as due to laboratory adaptation, genetic drift and/or diet changes. However, because of these changes, laboratory-reared specimens should not be used to predict the species-membership of wild-caught individuals, and vice versa. Final...

Non-destructive species identification of Drosophila obscura and D. subobscura (Diptera) using near-infrared spectroscopy.

The variability of morphological and lifehistory traits in Drosophila melanogaster and D. subobscura, two sympatric Drosophila species of different climatic origin, were investigated with regard to seasonal and daily temperature and humidity fluctuations to assess thermal sensitivity and the responses of freeliving organisms to oscillating temperatures. Temperature and humidity were measured continuously at the site where Drosophila were observed throughout the day, and thus represent a realistic picture of the temperature environment of these animals. A phenotypic model (gaussian curve) of temperature performance was fitted to daily fecundities and provided estimates of the position of temperature optimum and of the maximum and the breadth of performance for both species. D. melanogaster had a higher optimum temperature than D. subobscura. A trade-off between the maximum and the breadth of performance was detected both within and between the species.

Effect of thermal environment on life histories of free living Drosophila melanogaster and D. subobscura.

The survival of insect larvae often depends on the mother's choice of oviposition substrate, and thus, this choice is an essential part of an insect species' ecology Especially species with narrow substrate preferences may suffer from changes in substrate availability triggered by, for example, climate change Recent climate warming is affecting species directly (eg, physiology) but also indirectly (eg, biological interactions) leading to mismatching phenologies and distributions However, the preferred oviposition substrate is still unknown for many drosophilid species, especially for those at higher elevations In this study, we investigated the oviposition-substrate preference of the montane-alpine fly Drosophila nigrosparsa in rearing and multiple-choice experiments using natural substrates in the laboratory Insect emergence from field-collected substrates was tested More than 650 insects were reared from natural substrates, among them 152 drosophilids but no individual of D nigrosparsa In the multiple-choice experiments, D nigrosparsa preferred ovipositing on mushrooms (> 93% of eggs); additionally, a few eggs were laid on berries but none on other substrates such as cow faeces, rotten plant material, and soil The flies laid 24 times more eggs per day when mushrooms were included in the substrates than when they were excluded We infer that D nigrosparsa is a mushroom breeder with some variation in oviposition choice The flies favoured some mushrooms over others, but they were not specialised on a single fungal taxon Although it is unclear if and how climate change will affect D nigrosparsa, our results indicate that this species will not be threatened by oviposition-substrate limitations in the near future because of the broad altitudinal distribution of the mushrooms considered here, even if the flies will have to shift upwards to withstand increasing temperatures

/pdf/oviposition-substrate-of-the-mountain-fly-drosophila-3jtl62xryg.pdf

Oviposition Substrate of the Mountain Fly Drosophila nigrosparsa (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Background In its invaded regions, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is a novel host for the community of resident parasitoids of Drosophila. To attain a high parasitization rate on the novel host, the parasitoids have to locate it and accept it in the presence of other Drosophila hosts. We conducted a laboratory choice experiment and a semifield trial to investigate host searching and host preference of the three pupal parasitoid species Trichopria drosophilae (Perkins), Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Rondani) and Spalangia erythromera Forster. Results All three parasitoid species preferred D. suzukii over two common native hosts in the choice experiment. In field cages, most parasitoid offspring emerged from D. suzukii hosts. While P. vindemmiae mainly parasitized hosts in the foliage, most T. drosophilae offspring emerged from pupae presented on the ground. Conclusions Both P. vindemmiae and T. drosophilae have the potential to find and parasitize D. suzukii in the field. If released early in the season, possible nontarget effects on native Drosophila should be minimal.

Host searching and host preference of resident pupal parasitoids of Drosophila suzukii in the invaded regions.

BÄCHLI, G. und BURLA, H.: Insecta Helvetica. Fauna Band 7. Diptera, Drosophilidae. 116 S., 216 Abb. und 4 Taf. Zürich, 1985. Preis sFr. 20.‐

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BÄCHLI, G. und BURLA, H.: Insecta Helvetica. Fauna Band 7. Diptera, Drosophilidae. 116 S., 216 Abb. und 4 Taf. Zürich, 1985. Preis sFr. 20.‐