Effect of larval host on life history traits of the mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.

Demographic parameters for the Mediterranean fruit fly reared on each of twenty four different hosts from sixteen different plant families are reported. These include cohort parameters of development, survival, pupal sizc, and fecundity as well as population parameters such as intrinsic rate of population increase (r) and mean generation time. Major findings include the following: i) no consistent quantitative relationships existed between r and its chief demographic determinants such as preadult developmental time and adult fecundity; and ii) few correlations existed among the cohort life history parameters themselves. The principle conclusion is that the medfly is a successful generalist frugivore because of its developmental ability to offset the effect of the value for a host-specific trait that tends to lower r with one that tends to increase r, the net result of which is to maintain a relatively high r.