Molecular and morphological identification of Bactrocera zonata and Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) collected from central Iraq

The present study aimed to identify two fruit fly species belonging to the Tephritidae family using morphological and DNA barcode techniques. Samples of adult flies were collected from Wasit and Baghdad Governorate (central Iraq). The morphological taxonomic keys and the sequence of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) confirm respectively two different species of fruit flies Bactrocera zonata (peach fruit fly) and Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly). B. zonata shared nucleotide identities of 99.22 -98.43% with those of worldwide isolates in the GenBank, whereas, C. capitata shared nucleotide identities of 99.54 - 100% with the first 20 corresponding sequences available in the GenBank. Consequently, all the unidentified fruit fly samples were identified as B. zonata and C. capitata. The sequences of the two flies (B. zonata, and C. capitata) were deposited into the GenBank under the accession number (OM666060) and (OM666061) respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences of the COI gene of B. zonata isolates resolved into three phylogroups (I-III) which clustered together with isolates from Iran in group II, another phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences of the aforementioned gene of C. capitata isolates resolved into three phylogroups (I-III) which clustered together with isolates from China in group I.