Evolution of male lure response in the genus Bactrocera (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Species within the genus Bactrocera (Diptera: Tephritidae) are some of the most economically damaging crop pests in the world. There are over 500 species within the genus with 75 species of economic importance. Three species are currently present in Hawaii and one species on the US mainland, however there is a constant risk of new invasions from this genus due to active trade and international travel. Monitoring and control of these species are conducted using bucket traps baited with semiochemical lures that attract male flies. Two lures, methyl eugenol and cue-lure, attract the majority of the species in the genus and this lure response has been used to differentiate morphologically similar species. This differential lure response is thought to be one of the main mechanisms of speciation in the genus. In order to explore how this trait has evolved and its potential role in Bactrocera speciation, we collected species from their native range in the Paleotropics. We then sequenced four genes from both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes for systematic anlaysis. Data were analyzed using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Analysis to understand the evolutionary history and relationships of these species. Ancestral states of male lure response were then reconstructed with Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian methods using the ape package in the program R and the program Bayestraits to understand how this trait evolved in this economically important group.