Results of Multilocus Source Estimation Analyses of Historical US Captures of Medfly (Ceratitis capitata)

Historical collections of captured Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) gathered in California and Florida were analyzed to help evaluate the performance of a new source estimation tool developed at the USDA APHIS Mission Lab. Previously-developed mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA methods were used to analyze approximately 350 flies. The results show that the resolution provided by this tool is much improved as compared to older methods that rely on PCR-RFLP. The data also suggest trends that might assist in understanding previous infestations and may help in preventing future outbreaks. We discuss the tool’s diagnostic capacity and performance.