Abstract: Two new species of Dacus Fabricius, namely D. (Mellesis) nagarathnae Abhishek, David & Hancock, sp. nov., from Meghalaya and D. (Mellesis) venkateshi Abhishek & David, sp. nov., from the Western Ghats of India are described and illustrated. The Nepalese D. (Callantra) succaelestis Ito is newly synonymized with D. (Mellesis) polistiformis (Senior-White). An updated illustrated key to the 22 species of Dacus now known from the Indian Subcontinent is provided and attractant responses are listed.

Abstract: Bactrocera Macquart, 1835 Bactrocera Macquart, 1835: 452. Type-species: B. longicornis Macquart, 1835, by monotypy. Dasyneura Saunders, 1842: 60. Type-species: D. zonata Saunders, 1942, by monotypy. Strumeta Walker, 1856: 33. Type-species: S. conformis Walker, 1856 [= Dacus umbrosus Fabricius, 1805], by monotypy. Chaetodacus Bezzi, 1913: 93. Type-species: Musca ferruginea Fabricius, 1794 [= Dacus dorsalis Hendel, 1912], by original designation. Marquesadacus Malloch, 1932: 145 (as subgenus of Dacus). Type-species: Chaetodacus perfuscus Aubertin, 1929, by monotypy. Apodacus Perkins, 1939: 26. Type-species: A. cheesmani Perkins, 1939 [= A. cheesmnae Perkins, 1939], by original designation. Aglaodacus Munro, 1984: 25, Type-species: A. nesiotes Munro, 1984, by original designation. Mauritidacus Munro, 1984: 25. Type-species: M. montyanus Munro, 1984, by original designation. This genus is closely related to Dacus Fabricius, but chiefly differs from the latter by the abdominal tergites not being fused. More than 500 species are known from the Oriental, Pacific, Australian and Afrotropical Regions, with B. oleae (Rossi, 1790) also occurring in southern Europe. A few of adventives species are found in Hawaii and South America.

Abstract: Dacus (Mellesis) crabroniformis (Bezzi) (Figures 66‒75) Monacrostichus crabroniformis Bezzi, 1914: 153. Type locality Yercaud, Tamil Nadu. Mellesis crabroniformis — Bezzi, 1916: 117. Callantra crabroniformis — Hardy, 1977: 45. Dacus (Callantra) crabroniformis — Kapoor, 1993: 83; Drew et al., 1998: 584; Norrbom et al., 1999: 130; David and Ramani, 2011: 4. Dacus (Mellesis) crabroniformis — Hancock and Drew, 2006: 173; Drew and Romig, 2013: 379. Material examined: 1♂, INDIA, Karnataka, Tumkur, Madhugiri, 13.655 oN 77.219 oE, Abhishek, V. 2♂, INDIA, Karnataka, Bangalore, GKVK, 13.086 oN 77.566 oE, 19.xii.2023, Abhishek, V. 2♂, INDIA, Karnataka, Shivamogga, Navile, 13.957 oN 75.585 oE, 19.xii.2023, Abhishek, V. (NIM). Diagnosis: Dacus (Mellesis) crabroniformis was adequately redescribed by Drew et al. (1998); David and Ramani (2019) provided illustrations of epandrium and phallus. Epandrium (0.24 mm), heavily sclerotized, longer than lateral surstylus (0. 16 mm) in profile; apex posterior lobe of surstylus blunt, four times longer than anterior lobe; proctiger membraneous, triangular, and smaller than epandrium. In posterior view, epandrium and surstyli bulbous with well-developed prensisetae; medial surstylus longer than lateral surstylus. Phallus short, 1.5 mm in length (excluding glans, 0. 34 mm); 0. 75 sclerotized with patterned acrophallus. Remarks: Although it shares a general appearance with D. ramanii, D. crabroniformis can be distinguished by the presence of a narrow anepisternal stripe that is as broad as the notopleuron and the absence of a radial-medial band on the wing. Attractant: Zingerone. Host plant: Not known.

Abstract: The Tephritidae is one of the largest families of Diptera with high diversity and globally wide distribution, including a range of important agricultural pests. However, the origin, phylogeny and evolution history of Tephritidae remain poorly understood. We undertook the first comprehensive mitogenomic study covering phylogenetic reconstruction, divergence time estimation and historical biogeography analyses by analyzing 147 mitochondrial genomes representing three subfamilies, seven tribes, 11 genera and 82 species. The results recovered all the three subfamilies, seven tribes and 11 genera as monophyletic group. Within Dacini subfamily, our phylogeny strongly supported the sister group relationship of (Zeugodacus + Dacus) + Bactrocera, which further supported to raise Zeugodacus as generic level of Dacini. On the other hand, our molecular phylogenetic analyses did not align well with the currently recognized subgeneric designations within Ceratitis, Dacus and Zeugodacus. Some subgenera were recovered as polyphyletic or paraphyletic, implying the incongruence between morphological characters and mitogenomic data. Neither the taxa within the Ceratitis FARQ complex nor those within the Bactrocera dorsalis complex could be clearly distinguished as distinct species corresponding to the morphospecies by mitochondrial phylogenetic tree. Divergence time estimation and historical biogeography analyses indicated that the earliest common ancestor of the Tephritidae, originated in the Palearctic realm at 138.92-71.44 Ma, with the subsequent divergence into Dacinae + Trypetinae and Tephritinae at 115.19-67.45 Ma equally in the Palearctic realm. Dacini might have originated in Laurasia rather than Gondwana and diverged into Bactrocera and Dacus + Zeugodacus at 48.43-28.70 Ma after India plate docked with Laurasia.

Abstract: Abstract Carrot is a significant root crop in Ethiopia but its production faces challenges such as nutrient loss and unfavorable growth conditions, which hinder its productivity. The objective of this review was to evaluate the impact of nitrogen fertilizer rates on carrot yield in Ethiopia. A systematic review using databases like PubMed and Scopus focused on peer-reviewed, English-language studies with quantitative data on nitrogen fertilizer and carrot yield in Ethiopia, excluding non-peer-reviewed articles and those lacking quantitative data or in other languages. Globally, carrot yields are 30–100 tons per hectare, but only 5.5 tons in Ethiopia. Carrots are rich in vitamins A, C, and B, proteins, minerals, and fiber, with vitamin C boosting immunity and aiding in wound healing and allergy management. Meanwhile, vitamin A plays a crucial role in vision, bone growth, immune function, and reproduction. It is a rich source of carotenoids and anthocyanins. The application of nitrogen fertilizer significantly improved carrot yield (root length, fresh weight, and dry weight). In Ethiopia, the use of nitrogen fertilizer affects the marketability and total yield of carrots, with small-scale farmers employing diverse rates for cultivation. Current recommendations suggest 69 kg/ha of phosphorus (P 2 O 5 ) and 46 kg/ha of nitrogen, but farmers often do not follow these guidelines. In conclusion, optimizing nitrogen fertilizer usage is crucial for enhancing carrot yields among small farmers, underscoring the need for government support to tailor recommendations to local soil conditions and boost productivity.

Abstract: Abstract This study was carried out in 3 types of biotopes where vegetable crops are not grown to highlight their contribution to the dynamics of vegetable-infesting flies. To this end, a trapping system based on a sexual attractant, the Cuelure associated with an insecticide was set up in 18 biotopes (6 natural areas, 6 mango orchards, and 6 agroforestry parks) in the regions of Hauts Bassins and Cascades in the South-West of Burkina Faso. During the trapping monitoring, which was done every 2 wk to collect insects captured, fruits present in 3 types of biotopes were sampled and incubated for insect emergence. Ten Dacus (Fabricius) [Diptera: Tephritidae] species and Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) [Diptera: Tephritidae] were trapped in the study area. The predominant species captured was Z. cucurbitae (52.93%) followed by Dacus punctatifrons (Karsch) [Diptera: Tephritidae] (29.89%) and Dacus humeralis (Bezzi) (12.71%). Six tephritid species were emerged from 6 wild fruit species belonging to Cucurbitaceae, Apocynaceae, and Passifloraceae families. Fruit flies were more abundant from Jul to Nov with peaks observed in Aug or Oct depending on the species. Citrullus colocynthis L. (Cucurbitaceae), Lagenaria sp. (Cucurbitaceae), Passiflora foetida L. (Passifloraceae), and Passiflora sp. acted as reservoir host plants of Dacus ciliatus (Loew), Dacus bivittatus (Bigot), Dacus vertebratus (Bezzi) [Diptera: Tephritidae], D. punctatifrons, and Z. cucurbitae, the major vegetable insect pests in West Africa. The 3 types of biotopes acted as suitable refuge areas of vegetable crop-infesting fruit flies either for the favorable microclimate or for the alternative host plants.

Abstract: Phylogenetic relationships within the Dacini are discussed, with Dacimita David & Hancock and Ichneumonopsis Hardy transferred from tribe Gastrozonini to tribe Dacini based on synapomorphies and regarded as sister taxa to Monacrostichus Bezzi and Dacus Fabricius + Bactrocera Macquart respectively. The Madagascan genus Tythocalama Munro is removed from synonymy with subgenus Dacus (Neodacus) Perkins and placed as a new synonym of subgenus Dacus (Mictodacus) Munro.

Abstract: Al-Shweily, B.M., J.B. El-Zidawi and M.J. Hinnawi. 2024. Laboratory Evaluation of the Efficiency of The Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauvaria bassiana as a Biological Control Factor Against the Cucurbit Fly, Dacus ciliates. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 42(3): 335-339. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001260 The cucurbit fly, Dacus ciliatus is a major pest which attack a wide range of crops and causes significant losses in agricultural production. Due to the high toxicity of chemical pesticides on human health and the environment, scientists focused on developing alternative safe methods to control this insect, including the use of biocontrol agents. Beauveria bassiana is one of the common fungi used as a bio-control agent. This entomopathogenic fungus was cultivated on Petri dishes containing PDA. The spore suspension of this fungus was prepared using sterilized distilled water, and three concentrations were used: 20×106 , 10×106 and 5×106 spores/ml. The effectiveness of these three concentrations was tested on larvae and pupae of the studied insect. The larval mortality rate ranged from 73.33% at the highest concentration to 33.33% at the lowest concentration used. Pupal mortality reached 66.66% at the highest concentration and 16.66% at the lowest concentration of spore suspension. Mortality rate was directly proportional to the spore suspension concentration of the entomopathogenic fungus. Keywords: Cucurbit fly, agricultural pest, biological control, Dacus ciliates, Beauveria bassiana, entomopathogenic fungi.

Abstract: Studies were conducted to evaluate the toxicity of methanol (MeOH) extract from Ferula asafoetida Linn. (Umbelliferae) leaves on female adults and larvae of the lesser pumpkin fly, Dacus ciliatus (Diptera: Tephritidae). Direct-dip bioassays for larvae and topical bioassays for adults of fly were used to assess mortalities. Mortality increased significantly with rising concentrations. The intermediate lethal concentrations (LC₅₀), calculated 7.3 mg/ml (7300 ppm) for larvae. The female adult LC₅₀ was 409 µg/insect. The chemical composition of the isolated MeOH extract from Ferula asafoetida leaves was examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major compounds were 2, 3, 4, 5-Tetramethyl thiophene (22.1%), Phenol, 3-pentadecyl- (21.2%) and Mono (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (15.98%). The results suggested that the extract from the tested plant could be used as a potential control agent for this pest.