First records of Dacus frontalis in Algeria and Morocco
Dacus frontalis (Diptera: Tephritidae, EU A1 Quarantine Pest as Dacus spp.) is an important pest of cucurbit fruits in many parts of Africa and the Middle East. It was first recorded in Tunisia in 2014 (EPPO RS 2015/137), and more recently in Algeria and Morocco. In Algeria, it was reported to cause severe damage in Cucumis melo and Cucurbita pepo crops in North-Western Algeria, which is an arid area. In Morocco, it was found in the Souss-Massa-Drâa region. No data is available on its pest status.
In a recent article Hafsi et al. (2024), note that D. frontalis is likely to further invade other areas in the Mediterranean Basin and Europe as the minimum temperature threshold of this species is lower than that of Ceratitis capitata which has spread to many European countries.
Sources
Benras H, Ali Ahmed A, Benghedier A, Guezoul O (2023) Note on Dacus frontalis Becker (Diptera: Tephritidae) presence as a pest of cucurbit fruits in Timimoun, Algeria. Journal Algérien des Régions Arides 15(1), 61-63.
El-Harym Y, Belqat B (2017) First checklist of the fruit flies of Morocco, including new records (Diptera, Tephritidae). Zookeys 702, 137–171.
Hafsi A, Abbes K, Duyck PF, Chermiti B (2024) Life-history traits of Dacus frontalis Becker (Diptera: Tephritidae) reared at four constant temperatures. Phytoparasitica 52(1), 16.
Kettani K, Ebejer MJ, Ackland DM, Bächli G, Barraclough D, Barták M, Carles-Tolrá M, Černý M, Cerretti P, Chandler P, Dakki M (2022) Catalogue of the Diptera (Insecta) of Morocco—an annotated checklist, with distributions and a bibliography. ZooKeys 1094, 1-466. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1094.62644