LONGEVITY AND FECUNDITY IN THE CARIBBEAN FRUIT-FLY (DIPTERA, TEPHRITIDAE) - EFFECTS OF MATING, STRAIN AND BODY-SIZE

There was no difference in the longevity of mated versus virgin female Caribbean fruit flies, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), when kept without food. Females provided with food and kept with males lived a shorter p eriod of time than single females, and females with larger males had a shorter lifespan than those kept with smaller males. Females provided with food and caged with large males did not have fecundity greater t han those caged with small males. When protein was removed from the fe male diet, there was no difference between the fecundities of females mated to large and small males. The maximum fecundity of wild females in different size categories was correlated to thorax length. A simila r analysis of longevity yielded a relationship that bordered on signif icance. Domestic male lifespan was significantly related to size. Flie s kept in colony for more than 15 years lived a shorter time than wild flies, but had greater lifetime fecundity.