Species composition, richness and diversity studies of tephritid fruit flies captured on cucurbit crops from central plain zone of Punjab

Fruit fly populations were monitored using pheromone traps in cucumber and bitter gourd fields. A total of 3,321 fruit flies were recorded, with Zeugodacus cucurbitae (35.74%) being the most dominant species, followed by Bactrocera zonata (30.68%), Bactrocera dorsalis (26.76%), and Bactrocera correcta (6.80%). Population trends showed emergence at the 10th standard meteorological week (SMW), peaking at the 19th SMW with 42.75 flies per four traps in 2023 and 41.25 in 2024. Diversity indices remained stable, with the Shannon index (H′) at 1.266 in 2023 and 1.265 in 2024. Environmental factors significantly influenced fruit fly populations, with maximum temperature showing a positive correlation, while wind speed had a negative impact. Regression models indicated that weather parameters accounted for 62.50 - 80.40% of the variation in fruit fly populations.