Dinâmica populacional, abundância e potencial de infestação de Zaprionus tuberculatus e Zaprionus indianus (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Abstract

Brazil holds a prominent global position in fruit production due to its favorable soil and climatic conditions and technological development, factors that drive production across all regions. However, tropical fruit production faces serious challenges related to the incidence of invasive drosophilids, among which fruit flies (Diptera: Drosophilidae) constitute one of the main production and commercial constraints. Among these species, Zaprionus tuberculatus and Zaprionus indianus stand out for their high adaptability, short life cycle, and high biotic potential—traits that favor their dispersal in tropical environments and intensify their impacts on orchards. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the population dynamics, population fluctuation, abundance, and infestation potential of Z. indianus and Z. tuberculatus in home orchards in the Agreste mesoregion of Paraíba, considering attractants and sampling methods, stratum of occurrence, available hosts, infestation indices, climatic variation, and differences among municipalities. To this end, factors such as food attractants, stratum of occurrence, sampling methods, available hosts, climatic variation, and differences among municipalities were assessed. The research was conducted from May 2024 to April 2025 in five municipalities, using McPhail traps with different attractants and collecting host fruits for faunistic analysis and infestation indices. Data were analyzed using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) with a negative binomial distribution. The results show that guava juice is more efficient for capturing Z. tuberculatus, whereas Z. indianus shows no clear preference. Z. indianus is more abundant in fruits fallen on the ground, while Z. tuberculatus predominates in the plant stratum. Traps are more effective than fruit collection for continuous monitoring. Diversity indices vary among municipalities, and guava is identified as the preferred host for both species. The municipalities of Remígio and Pilões show the highest abundances of Z. indianus and Z. tuberculatus. Relative humidity shows a positive trend but no statistical significance for the abundance of Z. indianus and Z. tuberculatus. Mean temperature has a significant effect of low magnitude. Precipitation shows no significant association. Species-specific analyses did not reveal significant interactions with environmental variables. We recommend intensifying monitoring at the beginning and end of the rainy season, when population peaks become more evident, and expanding studies over broader temporal and spatial scales to support more effective and sustainable control strategies.