The Ethiopian fruit fly, Dacus ciliatus is an oligophagous, EPO quarantine pest of cucurbit crops, especially of melons, cucumbers and marrows. Specific attractants for this pest are unknown. The present study aimed at identifying attractants for D. ciliatus derived from different host and non-host fruits for development of efficient synthetic lures. The identification process was guided by two types of bioassays: a choice-test behavioral bioassay that was especially developed for screening plant volatile preparations against carrying-solvent, and fly antennal response to the separated volatile components in GC-EAD. Both sexes were tested in the two bioassays under controlled conditions. Plant volatiles were collected on Super Q or Activated Carbon packed columns. We screened fruits volatile extracts from different host-plants (e.g., zucchini, Cucurbita pepo, melon, Cucumis melo L) as well as non-hosts (e.g., strawberry, Fragaria sp., banana, Musa sp. and tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum L.). Among the host volatiles preparations tested, melon volatiles were consistently attractive to both sexes of D. ciliatus. Antennae of both sexes responded positively in GC-EAD to some ripe melon volatiles. Among the bioactive compounds, E-â-foreseen, Z3-octenyl acetate and Octyl acetate were identified using GC-MS libraries, retention indices and authentic standards. The attractiveness of synthetic compounds of the two acetates and E-â-foreseen was confirmed by GC-EAD. In behavioral bioassay, Z3-octenyl acetate and Octyl acetate tested individually showed a dose-responses attraction patterns to both sexes of the fly, whereas flies were not attracted to E-â-foreseen at tested doses.