SURVIVAL, FECUNDITY AND FERTILITY OF BACTROCERA-OLEAE, AS AFFECTED BYAMINO-ACID-ANALOGS

The effect of twenty five amino acid analogues at various concentratio ns upon the adult olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae Gmelin (Diptera: Te phritidae), was tested. Insect survival was significantly shortened by the following amino acid analogues: (in parentheses are indicated the antagonized amino acids) D-cycloserine (alanine), L-glutamic acid-gam ma-hydrazide (glutamine), DL-allyl-glycine (cysteine), L-canavanine (a rginine), L-methionine-DL-sulfoximine (methionine) and 3,4-dehydro-DL- proline (proline). Fecundity was significantly reduced by the same ana logues plus aminoethanesulfonic acid (glycine), taurine (alanine), L-n orvaline (leucine), a-methyl-DL-serine (serine), DL-hydroxyglutamic ac id (glutamic acid), (S)-2-(aminoethyl)-L-cysteine (lysine), a-methyl-D L-methionine (methionine) and a-methyl-DL-histidine (histidine). All t he above amino acid analogues also depressed egg-hatching with the exc eption of taurine, DL-hydroxyglutamic acid, DL-allyl glycine, a-methyl -DL-methionine and a-methyl-DL-histidine. Finally, y-glutamyl-p-nitroa nilide (glutamic acid), crotyl-glycine (methionine), DL-7-azatryptopha n and 5-methyl-DL-tryptophan (tryptophan), DL-1,2,4 triazole-3-alanine (histidine) and DL-pipecolic acid (proline) did not affect any of the parameters tested.