Life History of Paracantha gentilis (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The life history of Paracantha gentilis Hering in southern California is described. This stenophagous tephritid reproduces in the capitula of native Cirsium thistles. Courtship and mating behavior are described from field and laboratory observations. Territorial and courtship behavior of males and the morphological characters involved in possible male pheromone emission are described and illustrated, as are the oviposition behavior and reproductive morphology of females. Egg clutch sizes ranged from one to 13 eggs, with a maximum of six clutches per capitulum. Larvae fed gregariously within stage-specific niches. Pupariation occurred in the capitula, from which adults emerged in mid-June through early July. After emergence, most adults probably disperse to higher elevations to feed until autumn, then return to lower elevations and reproduce the following year. Limited reproduction also occurs in late-formed capitula or in capitula of alternate Cirsium hosts

Comparative Biologies of the Cryptic, Sympatric Species, Trupanea bisetosa and T. nigricornis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Southern California

The biologies of the sympatric, cryptic species, Trupanea nigricornis (Coquillett), a flower head-infesting fruit fly attacking a wide range of hosts in 8 tribes, 33 genera, and at least 71 species of Asteraceae, and T. bisetosa (Coquillett), an oligophage attacking only 6 hosts in 4 genera of the tribe Heliantheae, are described and compared. A major biological distinction between these species was their ovipositional behavior, whereby females oviposited different numbers of eggs at different sites in different developmental stages of flower heads of their hosts. The larvae of these species showed minor differences in their feeding behaviors, and their puparia were formed and located similarly in host flower heads. Development from egg to adult under field conditions lasted up to 35 d for each species. These species showed subtle differences in their courtship and mating behaviors, and substantial differences in the daily timing of courtship