Field infestation of rambutan fruits by internal-feeding pests in Hawaii

More than 47,000 mature fruits of nine different varieties of rambutan (Nep helium lappaceum L.) were harvested from orchards in Hawaii to assess natur al levels of infestation by tephritid Fruit flies and other internal feedin g pests. Additionally. harvested, mature fruits of seven different rambutan varieties were artificially infested with eggs or Brst-instars of Mediterr anean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), or oriental fruit ny, Bactr ocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) to assess host suitability. When all varieties were combined over two field seasons of sampling, fruit infestation rates were 0.021% for oriental fruit fly, 0.097% for Cryptophle bia spp. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), and 0.85% for pyralids (Lepidoptera). Species of Cryptophlebia included both C. illepida (Butler), the native Haw aiian species, and C. ombrodelta (Lower), an introduced species from Austra lia. Cryptophlebia ssp. had not previously been known to attack, rambutan. The pyralid infestation was mainly attributable to Cryptoblabes gnidiella ( Milliere), a species also not previously recorded on rambutan in Hawaii. Ov erall infestation rate for other moths in the families Blastobasidae, Graci llariidae, Tineidae, and Tortricidae was 0.061%. In artificially infested f ruits, Loth species of fruit fly showed moderately high survivorship for al l varieties tested. Because rambutan has such low rates of infestation by o riental fruit fly and Cryptophlebia spp., the two primary internal-feeding regulatory pests of rambutan in Hawaii, it may he amenable to the alternati ve treatment efficacy approach to postharvest quarantine treatment.