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The Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata, Wiedemann) is an invasive and quarantine pest, infesting more than 360 different plant species in tropical, subtropical, and Mediterranean climates. It originated in warm regions of Africa and has been causing significant damage in Croatia since the 1950s. Initially, the Mediterranean fruit fly was found exclusively in citrus growing areas and posed a greater threat especially to growers in the Neretva region. Today, the pest is widespread along the entire Adriatic coast and is sporadically found on the mainland as well. In Croatia, it causes the greatest damage and economic losses in the cultivation of mandarins, but its presence has also been noted in the cultivation of peaches and figs, which it also severely damages. The aim of this work was to determine the variability of populations of the Mediterranean fruit fly based on wing shape, from different hosts (peach, fig and mandarin) from different cultivation areas in the Republic of Croatia. Through variability and assessment of phenotypic plasticity, which determines the invasive character of the pest, geometric morphometrics methods were to be used to determine the potential for adaptation and future spread of the pest to new areas and new plant hosts. The study tested 10 different populations from peach, fig, and mandarine, as well as a sterile population grown under laboratory conditions. It was found that the hosts in which the Mediterranean fruit fly develops influence the shape of the wings, i.e., condition their variability. In addition, high phenotypic plasticity was found, which is a prerequisite for the invasiveness and spread of the Mediterranean fruit fly to new areas and new hosts in the future. |
