Movement of the Oriental Fruit Fly1Adults Among Islets of the Ogasawara Islands2

Abstract

Movement of the oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel, among the Ogasawara Islands was examined by the mark-release-recapture method. Released adult males, marked with lacquer or dyes, were recaptured in Steiner traps baited with methyl eugenol and located on different islets. The results suggested that the oriental fruit fly moves from islet to islet frequently. Nine of 3000 marked males, released at Haha Jima, ca. 50 km from Chichi Jima, were caught by 3 traps set on Chichi Jima. The active movement of this fly between islands was considered a cause of the failure of an eradication program of this species.