1517 Research Article Received: 2 April 2015 Revised: 26 October 2015 Accepted article published: 30 October 2015 Published online in Wiley Online Library: 20 November 2015 (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/ps.4179 Mediterranean fruit fly on Mimusops zeyheri indigenous to South Africa: a threat to the horticulture industry Zakheleni P Dube, * Phatu W Mashela and Raesibe V Mathabatha Abstract BACKGROUND: Claims abound that the Transvaal red milkwood, Mimusops zeyheri, indigenous to areas with tropical and sub- tropical commercial fruit trees and fruiting vegetables in South Africa, is relatively pest free owing to its copious concentrations of latex in the above-ground organs. On account of observed fruit fly damage symptoms, a study was conducted to determine whether M. zeyheri was a host to the notorious quarantined Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata). RESULTS: Fruit samples were kept for 16–21 days in plastic pots containing moist steam-pasteurised growing medium with tops covered with a mesh sheath capable of retaining emerging flies. Microscopic diagnosis of the trapped flies suggested that the morphological characteristics were congruent with those of C. capitata, which was confirmed through cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene sequence alignment with a 100% bootstrap value and 99% confidence probability when compared with those from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information database. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that M. zeyheri is a host of C. capitata. Therefore, C. capitata from infestation reservoirs of M. zeyheri fruit trees could be a major threat to the tropical and subtropical fruit industries in South Africa owing to the fruit-bearing nature of the new host. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry Keywords: Barcode of Life Data; medfly; molecular identification; morphological identification; National Centre for Biotechnology Information 1 INTRODUCTION The Mediterranean fruit fly (or medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiede- mann), threatens the sustainability of fruit and vegetable indus- tries in many countries. 1 – 4 The notoriety of this pest derives from its wide host range, explosive reproductive capacity and unusual resilience to adverse ecological conditions. 5,6 The primary method of managing C. capitata has been the development of strict quarantine protocols, which have included a complete ban on all C. capitata hosts and marginal hosts in Asia, whereas sea- sonal and/or geographical bans are enforced in Mexico, Argentina and New Zealand. 4,7 Quarantine and monitoring programmes in medfly-free countries are costing millions of US dollars, whereas expensive post-harvest facilities and treatment in medfly-infested countries have been necessary in order to gain and/or maintain market access to medfly-free countries. 4,8 In Florida, for instance, the horticulture industry spends over US$ 4.8 million in exclu- sion and detection activities, and approximately US$ 13.6 million per annum is spent on control programmes in the Mediterranean countries. 4,7 Generally, in Mediterranean countries the medfly causes fruit losses of over US$ 445 million, whereas in South Africa the deciduous fruit industry incurs losses of approximately US$ 3 million per annum. 9 The host range of C. capitata includes commercially important as well as inconsequential fruits and vegetable plants. 10 Host status information is summarised in the form of regional and world lists of known and potential hosts to address the needs of quarantine practitioners. 10 These host lists reflect a steady increase in knowl- edge about C. capitata, with increasingly accessible information on plant species that could play a critical role in pest population growth and maintenance. 10 The Transvaal red milkwood, Mimusops zeyheri Sond (Family: Sapotaceae Juss.), is a fruit tree indigenous to the northern region of South Africa, which is deemed to be the tropical and subtrop- ical fruit-producing region of South Africa. 11,12 Most of the fruit- ing vegetables are also produced in the region. 13 M. zeyheri fruit is exceptionally high in vitamin C and has been popular in marginal communities with nutrient gap challenges. 14,15 This evergreen, drought-tolerant, salt-tolerant and highly nematode-resistant fruit tree has been viewed as having economic and neutraceutical attributes, with the potential for serving as a future fruit tree of inland South Africa, 14 – 16 which faces prospects of increased tem- peratures and drought by 2030. 17 Fruit of M. zeyheri ripen a few months prior to the maturation of exotic fruits, which enhances its potential to serve as a C. capitata reservoir for commercial horticul- ture industries. At harvest (August–November) of M. zeyheri, most ∗ Correspondence to: Zakheleni P Dube, Department of Plant Production, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga 0727, South Africa. E-mail: zakheleni_dube@yahoo.com Department of Plant Production, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa Pest Manag Sci 2016; 72: 1517–1520 www.soci.org © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry