First report of the American eastern cherry fruit fly Rhagoletis cingulata (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Lithuania

In the last decade, the American cherry fruit Rhagoletis cingulata has become an important pest of cherry crops in many temperate regions of Europe. Native to North America, this fruit fly species was introduced in Europe in the 1980s. It was first described in Switzerland in 1983, and since then populations have been detected in the Netherlands, Hungary, and Germany. The risk this widespread invasive fly poses to native cherry crops is considerable. Here we show, using molecular markers, that R. cingulata is present in Lithuania, and that this region is the most northerly eastern region where populations of this invasive fly are found to date. Moreover, it is also shown that the native cherry fruit fly R. cerasi and the invasive fly share at least one parasitoid species in the region, which could contribute to population suppression of the invasive pest. This work shows that this invasive fruit fly is expanding farther east, and systematic monitoring in the western part of the East European Plain should be performed to prevent damage by this pest species