Anastrepha suspensa

Distinguished from other Anastrepha species by wing venation patterns and ovipositor characteristics. The serrated ovipositor tip and specific wing vein placement are key diagnostic features. Closely resembles A. ludens (Mexican fruit fly), requiring careful examination of morphological details for separation.

Tropical and subtropical environments with consistent precipitation. Associated with host fruit surfaces where adults congregate for feeding and mating. Larval habitat is within the pulp of maturing to overripe fruits.

Native to Cuba; established throughout the Caribbean including Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Introduced and invasive in Florida, with records from California (status uncertain) and French Guiana in South America.

Active year-round; does not undergo winter diapause. Mating behavior observed during spring and summer months, with morning activity on host fruit transitioning to shaded leaf areas as temperature increases.

Adults feed on fruit surfaces and associated microorganisms. Larvae feed internally on fruit pulp of mature, overripe, or spoiled fruits. Documented on over 100 food items, primarily fruits including guava (Psidium guajava), Eugenia spp., Syzygium spp., Annona spp., Terminalia catappa, and citrus (usually overripe).

• Psidium guajava - primary hostPreferred host; common name 'guava fruit fly' derives from this association
• Eugenia spp. - hostIncludes Cayenne cherry
• Syzygium spp. - hostIncludes rose apple
• Terminalia catappa - hostTropical almond
• Annona spp. - host
• Citrus spp. - occasional hostUsually only overripe or damaged fruit; commercial limes and lemons are poor hosts
• Carica papaya - hostPapaya
• Mangifera indica - hostMango
• Fortunella spp. - hostKumquat
• Spondias spp. - hostMombin

Complete metamorphosis with four stages: egg, larva (three instars), pupa, and adult. Females deposit ~200 eggs individually or in groups on exterior of mature or rotting fruit; eggs hatch in the flavedo (outer colored layer). Larvae progress through three instars, migrating from flavedo to pulp as fruit matures, with development rate increasing in sweeter fruit. Third instar larvae reach 8–10 mm, then pupate within a puparium formed from the hardened third instar skin. Adults emerge from puparium.

Males establish territories on host fruit and engage in lek mating behavior. Territorial defense involves aggressive interactions; larger males claim larger territories and demonstrate higher mating success. Males produce two distinct acoustic signals through wing vibrations: a calling song to attract females and a precopulatory song during courtship. Song intensity correlates with male size. Females deposit pheromones from anal membranes that deter additional oviposition in the same fruit for at least 6 days, functioning as egg guarding and population regulation. Adults show strong visual attraction to orange (580–590 nm wavelength), followed by yellow and yellow-green.

Fruit parasite; larvae consume fruit pulp, contributing to fruit rot and degradation. May reduce seed dispersal by making fruit less attractive to vertebrate frugivores. Serves as host for parasitoid wasps including Diachasmimorpha longicaudata, Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae, and Eurytoma annulipes, which contribute to biological control.

Major agricultural pest causing significant economic damage to tropical and subtropical fruit production. Particularly damaging to guava industry in Florida. Quarantine pest with strict import protocols in multiple countries including Bermuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, and the United States. Subject to eradication programs using sterile insect technique, biological control, and chemical baits. Capable of long-distance flight (over 120 km), enhancing invasion potential.

• Anastrepha ludensMexican fruit fly; closely related and morphologically similar, requiring examination of wing venation and ovipositor details for separation. Both are major agricultural pests with overlapping host ranges.
• Anastrepha obliquaWest Indian fruit fly; similar size and coloration, distinguished by wing patterns and ovipositor morphology.

• pest
• agricultural
• fruit fly
• invasive
• Caribbean
• Florida
• guava
• citrus
• tephritid
• quarantine

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• CDFA to Host Fruit Fly Workshop, Free to Participants | Bug Squad
• Undergrad Thesis Scores the Cover of Environmental Entomology | Bug Squad
• Targeting the Mexican Fruit Fly and Other Tephritid Pests | Bug Squad
• New Study Aims to Protect Parasitoids of Spotted-Wing Drosophila
• To Control Lekking Fruit Flies, Male Size Matters (Except When it Doesn't)
• For Mass-Rearing Sterile Fruit Flies, Fewer Males Means More Efficient Mating
• Anastrepha suspensa . [Distribution map].
• Biosteres longicaudatus: Developmental dependence on host (Anastrepha suspensa) physiology
• Behavioral Ecology of Mating in the Caribbean Fruit Fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae)
• The influence of host fruit morphology on parasitization rates in the Caribbean fruit fly,Anastrepha suspensa
• Lack of Suitability of Commercial Limes and Lemons as Hosts of Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae)
• Lekking and the small-scale distribution of the sexes in the Caribbean fruit fly,Anastrepha suspensa (Loew)
• Sequence and expression analysis of potential spermatogenesis-specific gene cognates in the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa.