The potential risk of bactrocera dorsalis (Tephritidae) invasion into the fruit industry in the iberian peninsula: a review

• Author(s): Wijekoon, Chandana Dammika ; Duarte, Amilcar ; Neto, Luís
• Date: 2025
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/27848
• Origin: Sapientia - Universidade do Algarve
• Subject(s): Fruit flies; Fruit production; Invasive species
• Document Type: Journal article
• Language: English
• Contributor(s): Sapientia

Description

Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel, 1912) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is considered a highly invasive fruit fly species already widespread in Indo-Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In recent years, this species has extended its range into new regions previously considered unsuitable, posing an alarming new risk for the subtropical regions of Europe. This review aimed to assess the potential risk of B. dorsalis invasion into the fruit industry in the Iberian Peninsula, the southwesternmost tip of Europe. With the collected information from published scientific knowledge on B. dorsalis’s distribution, biology, climatic tolerance, host plant diversity, and recent invasion pathways, we have provided an assessment of the possibilities of introducing this alarming fruit fly species to the Iberian Peninsula. In this review, we found that B. dorsalis has been recently reported in several adjacent European countries such as France, Italy, and Austria, and it serves as a warning signal to the Iberian Peninsula for the possible risks that this species poses in the future. Considering this persistent threat posed by B. dorsalis, we reviewed its potential future threat by considering the status of the fruit industry and Mediterranean climate in the Iberian Peninsula. We also considered the findings of recent climatic forecasting models. This review provides a theoretical basis for the prospective intrusion of B. dorsalis into the Iberian Peninsula’s fruit industry, as well as the potential impact following its establishment, together with recommendations for restricting the introduction and spread.