Abstract:
Fn1lr flies are one of the widely dlstrlbuted Insect pests and rhey mostly damage economically
Important fruits and vegetables In the tropical region. However. there are no recently published
reports of fruit fly assemblages associated with conunerclal fruit plantations In Srt Lanka. Hence.
the present study aimed to investigate the abundance and d.lversll)' of fruit files arcracted to the
methyl-eugenol tleld rraps In a selected mango cultivation ("Kan11ha kollomban· vartecy) In
Ambalanthota Srt Lanka. Six fruit fly traps (5 cm diameter. 10 cm height two cirrnlar openinglmm
radius and a methyl-eugenol coated sponge) were bun: (1.5· 4 m above the ground level
and 20111 inter-trap dlsrance) In six mango trees which were located In die middle of each
randomly selected slx sampling plots (400111') in die cultivation (0.54 ha). Trapped flies were
collected twice a month from October to December 2021 (during the fruiting season) replacing
new traps In each sampling round. Collected samples were ldentlfled using s tandard taxonomic
keys by observing wider the light microscope (Nlkon-ECLIPSE-ElOO) ( 10•4). Two Indices:
Simpson Population Dominance lnde.~ and the Abundance Index were calatlated The variation or
species abw1dance was compared using one-way ANOVA test. Seven fruit fly species: Baccrocera
dorsalls (Hendel). R kandlansts (Drew and Hancock). B. correaa (Be-zzl). B. /arlfrons (Hendel), B.
cubercr,lara (Bezzl), B, ntgrofemoralts (White and Tsuruta) and B. cacumfnaca (Hering) were
recorded In this smdy. Out or the total 803 specimens examined, B. dorsalis had a slgnltlcanrly
higher abundance ( 412, 51.31 %) (P<0.05) dian other species, and B. cacumlnaca had the lowest
abmtdance (26. 3.24%). The highest Simpson Dominance Index (0.26) 1vas recorded for B. dorsolls
while other recorded slx fruit fly species were less dominant In the selected mango cultivation.
Smdy tlndlngs will be Important for fruit cultivators to design and Implement fruit fly control
measures.
