Next generation national fruit fly diagnostics and handbook

Abstract

As for most insects, traditional fruit fly taxonomy has relied primarily on morphological characters to discriminate, define, and describe new species; however, this has failed to resolve some of the most important pest groups, especially those belonging to species complexes. As demonstrated by earlier work on the Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) complex, integrated approaches are critical for resolving within-species variation and defining between-species boundaries for challenging groups.
We describe how the PBCRC ‘dorsalis project’ is now being applied across a broader range of species using the integrative taxonomic approach. Here we update on fundamental systematics research and the development of new potential molecular markers to improve on current diagnostic tools. We also link these molecular tools with physical specimens, documenting the range of morphological variation so as to greatly improve on available resources used to diagnose fruit flies in the field as part of surveillance programmes or at border interceptions.
We emphasise the need for wide taxon and geographic coverage to ensure within-species variation is captured and not confounded by between-species variation. Additional to better understanding the fundamental evolutionary relationships among the Bactrocera, tangible outputs will be produced including operationally validated diagnostic resources that will be made available through a variety of platforms.