Diptera Tepbritidae: India
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Diptera Tepbritidae
Introduction
Tephritidae, commonly known as the fruit flies,_ are represented in all zoogeographical regions. They are distributed throughout the temperate, subtropical and tropical parts of the world; however, predominance of species is found in the tropics and subtropics. Their common name is derived from the habit of many species breeding in fruits of different kinds. Almost all the fruit flies, of which biology is bown, have phytophagous larval stages. The larvae complete their development while feeding in developing ovaries of fruits and seeds or ~hile minig the stems and also forming galls in host plants. Pupation-sometimes takes place within the plant, but usually the larvae leave the plant to pupate in soil. Many species of fruit flies are host specific.
Of the approximately more than 130 families of Diptera, Tephritidae cause by far the most extensive damage to plants. Many of the fruitflies (Dacus and Ceratitis) are serious pests of economic fruits and vegetables while some of the cecidogenous members (Procecidochares, Urophora, Eutreta and Tephritis) are beneficial in the bio--contJ:ol of weeds.
There are no fossil records of Tephritidae, although species in the closely related ~amily Otitida~ have been recordedfom fossils of the Oilgocene age (Bush, 1966). It is believed that Tephritidae could not have arisen much before the Miocene (Novak, 1974).
Three different names Tephritidae Macquart, 1835; Tryptidae Loew, 1862 and Trypaneidae Bezzi 1913 have been used for the family by various authors; however, the fIrSt one is considered valid by recent workers. Tephritidae comes under the superfamily Tephritoidea along with the families Pyrgotidae, Otitidae, Platystomatidae, Richardiidae and Tachiniscidae. This family is closely related to Platystomatidae and Otitidae (Kapoor et ale , 1980).
Membes of the family Tephritidae are medium sized flies having the following characters: well developed inferior fronto-orbital bristles in most of the species; post vertical (post ocular) bristles parallel or divergent and never cruciate; wings typically marked in patterns, with the subcostal vein bent sharply upward at nearly a right angle before apex and weakened or evanescent beyond the bend; costa with a break at apex of subcosta and the cubital cell (anal cell) typically lobate at apex.
Classification
Taxonomists generally agree that the supra specific. classification of the family is not in a satisfactory state (Freidberg, 1984). The classifications at the subfamily and tribal levels are based largely on the works of Bezzi (1913) and Hendel (1927), modified and expanded by Hering (1947). Hering (1947) divided the family into eight subfamilies, namely Dacinae, Schistopterinae, Terellinae, Aciurinae, Trypetinae, Myiopitinae, Oedaspinae and Tephritinae. However, the most pertinent classification applicable to the fruitfly fauna of the Oriental Region is proposed by Hardy (1977).
The Tephritidae known from Indian fall under four subfamilies and thirteen tribes as classified below: Class Insecta Ordez Diptera Family Tephritidae Subfamily Dacinae Tribe Dacini Subfamily Schistopterinae Subfamily Trypetinae Tribe Acanthonevrini Tribe Aciurini Tribe Adramini Tribe Ceratitini Tribe Euphrantini Tribe Trypetini Subfamily Tephritinae Tribe Ditrichini Tribe Platensinini Tribe Tepbrellini Tribe . Tephritini Tribe Xyphosini Tribe Terellini
Tephritidae is a fairly large family of Diptera, with a world figure of about 4000 species~ AbOut 839 species are known from the Oriental Region, of which 327 are known from the Indian subcontinent and 187 from India proper. It is generally accepted that about 8-12 recent of th world species of most of the Acalyptrate Diptera are represented in India. Judging from -this, approximately more than 400 species of Tephritidae can be expected in India whereas only 187 species are recorded so far. This indicates that ot.: knowledge on the status of the family in India is far from complete.
Historical Resume
i) Pre-1900
Fabricius (1794, 1805) was Ute fust to describe fruit flies from the Indian subcontinent This was followed by the work of Robineau-Desvoidy (1830), Wiedemann (1830, 1834), Saunders (1841), Macquart (1843), Walker (1849), and. Westwood (1849), in the-fust half of the nineteenth century. The second half of the nineteenth century resulted in the taxonomic works• of Macquart (1851), Walker (1852, 1860), Schiner (1868), Bigot (1889, 1896) and van der Wulp (1899).
ii) 1901-1947
Workers who had contributed much in this period to the fruit fly faunal studies of India were Coquill~tte (1904), Bezzi (1913, 1914, 1916), Enderlein (1911, 1920), Hendel (1914, 1915, 1927), Brunetti (1917), Senior-White (1922, 1924), Munro (1935, 1938), Perkins (1"937, 1938, 1939) and Hering (1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1944).
iii) 1948-1990
In recent years, the contribution of Hardy (1954-1987) has greatly advanced our knowledge of the fruit flies from the Orient. Besides, Zaka-ur-Rab (1960, 1961, 1977), Kapoor (1970, 1971, 1972), Kapoor et al., (1969, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980), Agarwal et al., (1983, 1989), Radhakrishnan (1984) and Premlata (1987) have also worked on the family.
The biology of fruit flies has been reviewed by Christenson and Foot (1960) and Fletcher (1987). Cedidogenous Tephritidae have been reviewed by Freidberg (1984) and the ecology of fruit flie$ by Bateman (1972). A number of studies have been conducted in the recent past on the evaluation and management of fruit flies of economic importance (Cavalloro, ed., 1982). Publications of Foote (1965, 1967, 1980) on the Tephritidae of Aiericas, Drew (1975, 1978) of the South Pacific, Hardy (1977) of the Oriental Region and Cogan and Munro (1980) of the Afrotropical Region, deal with the family in different zoogeographical areas.
Studies from Difrerent Environs
The information available in Indian Tephriddae are the results of random surveys and studies conducted by various workers based on the material collected from the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Kamataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Iammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Sikkim, West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Andaman and Nicobar. In general, the surveys have often been conducted in fairly easily accessible and selected pockets, and hence there is scope for further exploration and study of the family from other environs in India.
Estimation of Taxa
About 4000 species of Tephritidae are known from the world, about 839 from the Oriental Region, 327 from the Indian subcontinent and 187 from India alone. The species known so far from India fall under 70 genera anti 4 subfamilies.
In the fruit fly fauna of India, the Oriental element dominate by 94.67 %; the Palaearctic element is poorly represented by 2.13 %; the Ethiopian the least by 0.53 % and the cosmopolitan species by 2.67 %.
Tbe species-wise status of the family known from Indian and adjacent countries is given below:
At least 106 species are considered to overlap in their distribution" in these countries is estimated to be 54.4 % in the Bunnese species, 41.17 % in the Indian species, 29.5 % in the Sri Lankan speices, 26 % in the Nepalese species, 15.4% in the species of Pakistan and none in the species of Bangladesh. No published information is available on the family from Bhutan.
Classified Treatment
Subfamily Dacinae The Dacinae known from India is treated under the tribe Dacini and represent 45 species belonging to the two genera of Callantra Wall and Dacus Fabricius. The genus Dacus is known by 10 subgenera in India. Members of this subfamily are the most important fruit infesters. Animal Resources ofIndia Subfamily Trypetinae
The Trypetinae is represented in Indian by 92 species under an assemblage of 44 . genera belonging to the six tribes, Acanthonevrini, Aciurini, Adramini, Ceratitini, Euphlantini and Trypetini. The subfamily Trypetinae represent the largest number of species known from India. Their dominance could be attributed to the fact that members of this subfamily enjoy wide range of biological habits. They are fruit infesters, flower bud breeders, leaf miners or gall formers. Subfamily Schistopterinae
The Schistopterinae is the least known subfamily and is represented in India by only three species under the genus Rhabdochaeta de Meijere. Members of this subfamily probably breed in the flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae (Compositae). Subfamily Tephritinae
The Tephritinae is represented in India by 47 species under 23 genera belonging to the six tribes of Ditrichini, Platensinini, Tephrellini: Xyphosini, Terellini and Tephritini. Members of this subfamily mostly breed in the flower heads and other part of the plant family Asteraceae (Compositae) and many are gall formers.
Current Studies
In the Zoological Survey of India, systematics and distribution of Tephritidae. of North-Eastern states of India and collections from Kerala and Tamil Nadu states are currently under study. Outside Z.S,!. research on Indian Tephritidae is carried out in the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Panjab University, Chandigarh; and the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Expertise India
In ZSI
C. Radhakrishnan, Southern Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India, Madras, 600 028.
Elsewhere
V. C. Kapoor, Dept. of Zoology, Panjab Agricultural Univeristy, Ludhiana, Punjab. Awat Singh; Dept of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh. Zaka-ur-Rab, Dept of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.
Abroad
D. Elmo Hardy, Dept of Entomology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 9682, U.S.~
R. A. I. Drew, Dept. of Primary Industries, Entomology branch, Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane, Queesland 4068, Australia.
A. Freidberg,' Dept. of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. R. H. Foote, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, C/o. U.S. National Museum, WashingtOn D. C. 20560, U.S.A.
G. C. Steyskal, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, C/o U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. 20560, U.S.A.
H. K. Munro, Plant Protection Research Institute, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa. B. H. Cogan, Plant Protection Research Institue, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa.
Selected References
Bezzi, M. 1913. Indian Trypaneids, fruit flies in the collection of the Indian Museum, Calcutta. Mem. Indian Mus. 3 : 53-175. Cogan, B. H. &Munro, H. K. 1980. Family Tephritidae. In : Catalogl4l! of the Diptera of the A/rotropical Region, British Museum Natural History, London. Drew, R. A. I., Hooper, G. H. S., &Bateman, M. A. 1978. Economic fruit flies of the south Pacific Region. Watson Ferguson and Co., Brisbane. : 137 pp. Freidberg, A. 1984. Gall Tephritidae (Diptera). In : Biology ofgall Insect.c: (Ananthakrishnan, T. N., ed.) : 129-167. Oxford and I.B.H. publishing Co., India. Foote, R. H. 1965. Family Tephritidae. In Stone, A., et al., A catalog of the Diptera of America north ofMexico. U.S. DepL Agr Agr.
Handb. Washington, D. C., 276. Foote R. H. 1980. Fruit fly genera south of the United States. Technical Bulletin, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1600 : 79 pp. Hardy, D., E. 1973. The Fruit flies (TepJtritidae-Diptera) of Thailand and bordering countries. Pacif. Ins. Monogr. 31 : 1-353. Hardy, D. E. 1974. The Fruit flies of the Philippines (Diptera•: Tephritidae) Pacific. Ins. Monogr. 32 : 1-266.
Hardy, D. E. 1977. Family Tephritidae.ln : Delfinado, M. D. and Hardy, D. E., A catalog of the Diplera ofthe Oriental Region. III. Univ. of Hawaii Press: 44-134. Kapoor, V. C., Hardy, D. E., Agarwal, M. L. &Grewal, J. S. 1980. Fruit fly systematics of the Indian subcontinent. Export Indian Publication: 113 pp.
