Morphological and molecular characterization of three species of Anastrepha Schiner and of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera:Tephritidae)

Four species of Tephritoidea, three from genus Anastrepha: A. obliqua (Macquart), A. sororcula Zucchi and A. serpentina (Wiedemann), and one from genus Ceratitis, C. capitata (Wiedemann) were compared based on puparium morphology and application of the Heteroduplex Mobility Assay (HMA). Puparia were characterized for the first time using the spiracular posterior plate morphology. Application of HMA allowed the detection of variability in the D2 domain from 28S rRNA gene in all four species (confirmed by sequencing). This is a fast, simple, sensitive and inexpensive assay that was used for the first time in the analysis of two Tephritoidea genera. The detected variability suggests that the tecnique has great potential for rapid determination of infestations with two or more species in the same host fruit.