Ocorrência de Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock (Diptera Tephritidae) em Monte Dourado/PA

Abstract

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) cause huge impacts on national fruit growing, interdicting local markets; being a matter of concern for countries in tropical regions, where its abundance is greater. Bactrocera carambolae, an exotic species originating from the Asian continent, was officially registered in Brazil in 1996, being considered a quarantine pest of great relevance. It is currently restricted to the states of Amapá, Pará and Roraima, being under strict official control. This work aims to describe the occurrence pattern of the carambola fly in Monte Dourado-PA. Therefore, a study was carried out in the Monte Dourado district, in the municipality of Almeirim. Data were collected weekly from January to December 2021. Abundance data were collected using a Mcphail-type fruit fly trap. 52 Mcphail traps were installed, distributed in the city's neighborhoods, organized by specific codes. To assess abundance, the MAD index (fly/trap/day) was used throughout the year, and Student's t test was used to compare the averages between the dry and rainy seasons. During the sampling period, 894 specimens of Bactrocera carambolae were captured. Population peaks occurred in January, February, October and December. There was no statistically significant difference in abundance between the dry season and the rainy season (t = 0.61869, p-value = 0.55). The MAD index remained within acceptable limits for importing markets, indicating that the pest population is under control. Furthermore, the abundance of Bactrocera carambolae does not vary greatly throughout the year. This fact may be related to the monitoring and control actions of the carambola fly eradication program. However, our experimental design does not allow measuring the effect of this variable on the abundance of this insect.