EPPO Global Database

EPPO Reporting Service no. 07 - 2016 Num. article: 2016/130

Drosophila suzukii does not occur in Chile


In the EPPO RS 2016/111, the presence of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae – EPPO A2 List) was reported in Chile on the basis of a publication from Medina-Muñoz et al. (2015). The NPPO of Chile recently informed the EPPO Secretariat that following the publication of the first record of this drosophilid species which is a quarantine pest for Chile, contact was made with the scientists concerned and that further studies were carried out on 3 specimens initially identified as D. suzukii. The 3 specimens were re-examined by two official laboratories and results confirmed that these were not D. suzukii but corresponded to another species, D. amplipennis. Both morphological and molecular (PCR, RFLP) techniques were used for the diagnosis. D. amplipennis is a species endemic to the Chilean and Argentinian lakes region. In addition, the Chilean NPPO conducted a survey in the area where these specimens had been caught, using specific traps for D. suzukii. The analysis of the first specimens caught from June 2016 until now included
24 D. amplipennis out of a total of 211 adult specimens belonging to Drosophilidae family (D. suzukii was not found). Finally, the NPPO of Chile stressed that since 2014 a specific trapping network for D. suzukii has been put into place in several areas of the national territory and no captures of this species have ever been made. The NPPO of Chile concluded that this first identification of D. suzukii was erroneous.
The pest status of Drosophila suzukii in Chile is officially declared as: Absent.


Sources

NPPO of Chile (2016-07).

Medina-Muñoz MC, Lucero X, Severino C, Cabrera N, Olmedo D, Del Pino F, Alvarez E, Jara C, Godoy-Herrera R (2015) Drosophila suzukii arrived in Chile. Drosophila Information Service no. 98, p 75.

Other sources:
Brncic D (1987) A review of the genus Drosophila Fallen (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Chile with the description of Drosophila atacamensis sp. nov. Revista Chilena de Entomología 15, 37-60. http://www.insectachile.cl/rchen/pdfs/1987v15/Brncic_1987.pdf
Vilela CR, Bächli G (2004) On two Chilean species of Drosophila (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 77(1-2), 69-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.5169/seals-402859