Hidden Diversity in an Urban Agroecosystem: A Faunal Inventory of Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae) from Attur Farm, Bengaluru, India

Abstract

Dacini fruit flies are taxonomically diverse and include several species of horticultural and quarantine significance. To document their diversity in a peri-urban agricultural landscape, we compiled a voucher-based inventory of specimens collected from Attur Farm, northern Bengaluru, between 2012 and 2023 using parapheromone-baited traps, sweep-netting, manual collection, and rearing from infested plant material. Twenty-two species were recorded, comprising 11 Bactrocera, six Zeugodacus and five Dacus. The assemblage included major horticultural pests, members of morphologically challenging species complexes and less frequently recorded taxa. Reported lure and attractant responses included cue lure, methyl eugenol and zingerone. Host rearing and verified host records provided host-plant information for 11 species. Because sampling effort varied among years, collectors and collection methods, the records are interpreted as presence-based species richness rather than measures of relative abundance. This inventory establishes a taxonomic baseline for standardized Dacini surveillance in Bengaluru’s peri-urban agricultural landscape. Keywords: Bactrocera; Dacus; Zeugodacus; faunal inventory; peri-urban biodiversity