Species composition, richness, and diversity of fruit flies collected from mango orchards in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

The study aimed to explore the variety of fruit flies present in mango orchards across different agro-ecological zones within the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Fruit fly samples were gathered from 12 locations spanning 5 agro-ecological zones using methyl eugenol baited traps during the mango fruity season (Apr-Oct) of the year 2022 in Saharanpur. A total of eight species of genus Bactrocera were found infesting mango orchards in study regions. Out of a total collection from each zone, Bactrocera zonata emerged as the predominant species with total number recorded 3750, followed by Bactrocera dorsalis (3022, B. correcta (1375) and B. tau (1245). B. tuberculata and B. nigrotibalis exhibited low abundance across all locations. The diversity indices, as measured by Shannon’s index, was highest in Behat, followed by Nakur. Simpson’s reciprocal index indicated higher values at Behat and Nakur, suggesting higher diversity in the fruit fly population. Also, Behat and Nakur showed more species richness than others. We also studied the influence of different weather parameter on the population dynamics and observed a significant positive correlation between fruit fly population and the temperature whileas there is a negative correlation with average rainfall and humidity.