Knowing the composition of drosophilid endemic communities is useful to study population dynamic when new species are introduced. Invasive species can in fact change the structure of the drosophilid community, endemic species distribution data are therefore essential to support an effective management of harmful insects.
Researchers from the University Aldo Moro in Bari and the University La Sapienza in Rome supplied a first description of the natural drosophilid populations (Diptera Drosophilidae) in Puglia. The flies were collected between 2013 and 2016 and classified according to morphological and molecular analyses that sequenced the mtDNA COI gene. The species identified show a distribution of variable frequencies throughout the year, reflecting seasonal life cycles unique to each species. Harmful species Drosophila suzukii represents one of the four most abundant.
General view of the external morphology of the four most abundant species: D. melanogaster (a), D. simulans (b), D. subobscura (c) e D. Suzukii (d) males. Sexual dimorphism is evident in D. suzukii males (d) and D. Suzukii females (e): the black spots on the wings (d), the two sets of black sex combs on the foretarsi (g) in males and the serrated ovipositor in females (f).
In Puglia, D. suzukii could attack a series of important crops - such as cherries and grapes - which are essential for the region's economy. A constant monitoring of invasive species is essential to support a suitable risk management and avoid yield losses not only in Puglia but also in other Mediterranean regions with similar environmental, climate and productive conditions.
Source: Rachele Antonacci, Patrizia Tritto, Ugo Cappucci, Laura Fanti, Lucia Piacentini, Maria Berloco, 'Drosophilidae monitoring in Apulia (Italy) reveals Drosophila suzukii as one of the four most abundant species', 2017, Bulletin of Insectology, 70(1):139-146, ISSN 1721-8861.