Seasonal and Diurnal Activity of Rhagoletis mendax1 Flies in Nature2

Abstract
Data from field observations on the location and activity of adult blueberry maggots, Rhagoletis mendax Curran, revealed the following. Most flies were found on cultivated, high-bush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L., and none were found on wild, low-bush blueberry, V. augustifolium Ait. Most flies on non-host plants were observed there during rain. Feeding and the presence of mating pairs occurred only on high-bush blueberry. Throughout the season on high-bush blueberry, males spent less time feeding and on leaves than did females. Most oviposition occurred after the second week from the first noted eclosion. Oviposition was accompanied by a shift toward more time spent by both sexes on fruit. Males spent most of an individual observation period on a single fruit, whereas females visited many fruit for oviposition. Mating, oviposition, and the occurrence of both sexes on fruit were all significantly positively correlated with changes throughout the day in ambient temperature and incident light intensity. The relation of these activities to those of other dipterans is discussed.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: