Flight Characteristics of Bactrocera dorsalis Associated with Long-Distance Migration
Journal
Insects
Journal Volume
17
Journal Issue
2
Start Page
203
ISSN
2075-4450
Date Issued
2026-02-14
Author(s)
Hidaka, Naoya
Nishiya, Kohei
Masuoka, Yudai
Jouraku, Akiya
Yang, Yong-Jun
Ho, Chia-Jung
農業部農業試驗所
Otuka, Akira
Abstract
Recently, individuals of the oriental fruit fly and its relatives ( complex)-previously eradicated in Japan-have occasionally been captured in surveillance traps in the Kyushu District of western Japan, suggesting possible overseas migration. However, as this species generally is not considered capable of long-distance flight, its potential for overseas migration remains largely unexplored. Moreover, this emerging situation in East Asia poses an increasing risk to agricultural industries, highlighting the need to develop a migration prediction model to provide early warnings of their arrival, for which understanding the species' flight characteristics is essential. In this study, flight experiments were conducted using young first-generation adults that emerged from larvae collected in Taiwan. Outdoor observations revealed that actively initiates flight around 10:00 and sunset. Flight mill experiments under varying temperature conditions indicated that flight activity ceased at temperatures between 16.2 and 16.5 °C. Furthermore, a 24-h flight test demonstrated that some individuals were capable of sustaining flight for over 7 h, suggesting a potential capacity for long-distance migration. These findings contribute to the development of a migration flight model and enhance our understanding of the flight behavior associated with long-distance migration in .
Subjects
flight duration
flight mill
low temperature response
oriental fruit fly
takeoff time
Publisher
MDPI
Type
journal article