Records of Frugivorous Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacini) from the Comoro Archipelago

ABSTRACT This paper summarizes current knowledge of the occurrence of Dacini fruit flies in the Comoro archipelago of the Indian Ocean. Ten species are confirmed as occurring there: Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta & White, 2005, Dacus bivittatus (Bigot, 1858), D. ciliatus Loew, 1862, D. etiennellus Munro, 1984, D. punctatifrons Karsch, 1887, D. vertebratus Bezzi, 1908 (all Dacina), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824), C. malgassa Munro, 1939, Neoceratitis cyanescens (Bezzi, 1923), and Trirhithrum nigerrimum (Bezzi, 1913) (all Ceratitidina). Records of Bactrocera Cucurbitae (Coquillett, 1899) remain unconfirmed. The fauna of the Comoros is briefly compared to that of other islands in the western Indian Ocean.


INTRODUCTION
The Comoro archipelago is situated in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, between the African mainland and Madagascar (11°23'-13°00'S 43°13'-45°18'E) ( Fig.  1). It comprises a group of four main islands, one of which, Mayotte (Maore), remains under French administration (established as French Overseas Department in 2011). The remaining three islands are Grande Comore (Ngazidja), Mohéli (Mwali) and Anjouan (Ndzuani), which form the independent state l'Union des Comores (République Fédérale Islamique des Comores prior to December 2001). The main island is Grande Comore, with Moroni as the main port of entry. Commuting between the main islands and Madagascar.
These islands represent an important "stepping stone" between Madagascar and the origins (Louette et al. 2004;Paulian 1978). The main horticultural crops intended for export are coconut (Cocos nucifera L.), vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews), cloves (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merrill & Perry), and ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata et al fruits and vegetables, largely for subsistence farming, are present on the islands and The Tephritidae fauna of the Comoros is poorly known; Cogan and Munro (1980) (although records for the archipelago may have been indirectly implied for species noted as "widespread Afrotrop. Reg.").
During the past decade, a number of preliminary surveys have been conducted on various islands in the Comoro archipelago group. These studies were directed at a pests of commercially grown produce. framework of the Programme Régional de Protection des Végétaux (PRPV), covering Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Comoro islands and La Réunion. Material was preserved dry or in alcohol. The material was shipped to the Musée Royal de l'Afrique Marc Attié of the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), unless otherwise stated. The localities at which samples were collected are indicated by numerals on Fig. 1.
In addition to this recently collected material, which is deposited in the collections of RMCA and CIRAD, the information included in this paper was supplemented with published literature records and older records in entomological collections. Illustrations Norrbom et al. (1999), placing the Dacini (with subtribes Ceratitidina and Dacina) in the subfamily Trypetinae. RESULTS is presented in Table 1. The diversity is compared with the other islands of the western Indian Ocean. All species are discussed below.

Subtribe Dacina Genus Bactrocera Macquart, 1835
Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett, 1899) the world, including Africa. The invasion history was summarized by Virgilio et al. (2010). As with other species of the subgenus Zeugodacus bitaceae, although occasionally reported as attacking other hosts (Mwatawala et al. 2010;Vayssières et al. 2007). The occurrence in the Comoro archipelago is, how-Comores", but provide no additional details. It is not clear whether this record represents an interception or a capture from an established population. The identity to production and export markets (Ekesi et al. 2006;Mwatawala et al. 2006Mwatawala et al. , 2009Vayssières et al. 2005Vayssières et al. , 2008. In 2005, it was found in the "l'Union des Comores" and in 2007 on Mayotte (see material examined). To date, it has not been reported from entire region's plant quarantine. Males are attracted to methyl-eugenol lure.

Dacus etiennellus Munro, 1984
D. demmerezi (Bezzi) (which occurs on Madagascar, Mauritius and La Réunion), but differs in the shape of the costal band of the wing. In addition to its occurrence on Grande Comore (see material examined), it is probably also found on Mayotte (see discussion on type closest relative, D. demmerezi, attacks Cucurbitaceae.  Bezzi, 1908 tropical countries, the Arabian Peninsula and Madagascar. It was recorded from Maa cue-lure trap (see material examined) is probably coincidental).  (Copeland et al. 2002). It appears to be widespread in the western Indian Ocean region, where it was probably introduced and is reported from all the main island groups (De Meyer 2000;De Meyer et al et al. 2000). Males are attracted to trimedlure. Genus Neoceratitis Neoceratitis cyanescens (Bezzi, 1923) Mauritius are probably adventive, and have been known since the 1950s (although et al. 2000). The only known hosts are Solanaceae and include tomato, Capsicum spp., and wild Solanum N. cyanescens has been introduced accidentally to the Comoros or has been present there for a long sim and Soilihi (2000).

Material examined: COMOROS: Anjouan
Mohéli: Genus Trirhithrum Bezzi, 1918 Trirhithrum nigerrimum (Bezzi, 1913) The genus Trirhithrum includes some endemic species in the islands of the western Indian Ocean, but none of these have been recorded in the Comoros. The only Comoro representative is T. nigerrimum, which is widespread throughout continental Africa.
it is actually polyphagous, attacking a wide variety of different host-plant families et al. 2003). In addition to its occurrence on Anjouan, it is also recorded from et al. 2003).
Material examined: COMOROS: Anjouan with Torula. Table 1. Bactrocera cucurbitae), the Dacini fauna of the Comoro Islands exhibits a rather limited diversity. Most representatives are taxa that are widespread throughout the Afrotropical Region. Only one species is endemic to the archipelago, while two others are endemics of the western Indian Ocean islands. In most cases, it is not clear whether the widespread species, and even some of the Indian Ocean endemics, have been accidentally introduced by human activities, or have dispersed by natural means from adjacent regions. For known pests of commercial crops, such as Ceratitis capitata, the former is highly likely. Although international shipments and transport between the archipelago, the African mainland and the adjacent islands in the Indian Ocean may be limited, the potential role of the Comoros as a stepping stone between the regions should be noted as a point of concern, especially for notorious pests such as B. invadens and B. zonata. Several of the pest species found in adjacent regions, such as Ceratitis rosa, could potentially have an economic impact on local horticultural production. It is suggested conducted in the future, particularly with fruit collection at different periods of the year.

DISCUSSION
The inventory was funded by the European Union ("FED" contract number 8.ACP.RIN012 and "FEOGA" and "FEDER" for Réunion), by the "Région Réunion", the "Conseil Général de la Réunion" preparation of Fig. 1. This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Brian Roy Stuckenberg, who advanced our knowledge of the Diptera fauna of Africa enormously, both through his dedicated research and extensive collecting efforts.