Zonosemata electa (Diptera: Tephritidae): a brief description
The pepper maggot, Zonosemata electa (Diptera: Tephritidae – EU Annexes) was added in 2021 to the quarantine list of the European Union (Annex II A). It is an occasional pest of capsicum in the Eastern USA and South-Western Ontario (Canada). Its main hosts are capsicum (Capsicum spp.) and aubergine (Solanum melongena), but it can also attack tomato (S. lycopersicum) on rare occasions. This fruit fly has also been reported on wild Solanum, such as S. capsicoides and S. carolinense.
Damage is caused by larvae feeding inside the fruit. There is little evidence of attack on the outside of the fruit, but there can be extensive internal tunnelling and discoloration.
In the USA, Z. electa has one generation per year. Females emerge, mate and lay eggs in June-July. Eggs hatch within 8-10 days and larvae feed inside the fruit for about 18 days, then exit the fruit, drop to the soil, and pupate, usually within the top 5-10 cm of soil. Pupae persist from late summer or autumn until the next summer.
The geographical distribution of Z. electa is as follows:
EPPO region: Absent.
North America: Canada (Ontario), USA (Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia).
In the EPPO Global Database, the following data has now been added:
- a distribution map: https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/ZONOEL/distribution
- a list of host plants: https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/ZONOEL/hosts
Sources
BugwoodWiki. Zonosemata electa. https://wiki.bugwood.org/Zonosemata_electa
Carroll LE, Norrbom AL, Dallwitz MJ, Thompson FC (2004 onwards) Pest fruit flies of the world – larvae. https://www.delta-intkey.com/ffl/www/zon_elec.htm
EPPO (2015) EPPO Technical Document No. 1068, EPPO Study on Pest Risks Associated with the Import of Tomato Fruit. EPPO Paris. https://www.eppo.int/media/uploaded_images/RESOURCES/eppo_publications/td_1068_tomato_study.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food & Rural Affairs. Pepper maggot. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/IPM/english/peppers/insects/pepper-maggot.html#advanced
Ridge GE (undated) Pepper maggot (Zonosemata electa (Say)). The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/CAES/DOCUMENTS/Publications/Fact_Sheets/Entomology/Pepper_Maggot_Zonosemata.pdf
University of Georgia. Extension. Pepper maggot. https://extension.uga.edu/content/dam/extension/programs-and-services/integrated-pest-management/documents/insect-pdfs/pepper_maggot.pdf