PREDATION ON WANDERING LARVAE AND PUPAE OF CARIBBEAN FRUIT-FLY (DIPTERA, TEPHRITIDAE) IN GUAVA AND CARAMBOLA GROVE SOILS

Laboratory-reared Caribbean fruit fly (Anastrepha suspensa [Loew]) lar vae in the wandering period of the last instar were released singly on to the soil surface in guava (Psidium guajava L.) and carambola (Averr hoa carambola L.) groves in Florida. Crawling, burrowing, and interact ions with predators on the soil surface before burrowing were observed . Four days after release, pupae were excavated from the soil and retu rned to the laboratory for rearing. Depth of pupation in all soils ran ged from 0-27 mm. Four species of ants were observed attacking wanderi ng larvae. Adult emergence of pupae recovered from all groves ranged f rom 0%-98%. Wireworm larvae, Conoderus sp., were observed eating pupae in the field. In the laboratory, the earwig Euborellia annulipes (Luc as) ate wandering larvae and pupae.