Adaptation of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Artificial Rearing

When both sexes of wild Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), were used to start a new laboratory colony, the following numbers of generations were required to reach measurements similar to a strain adapted to artificial rearing for about 5.5 yr (60-70 generations): four for survival, more than six for fecundity and fertility, about five for larval development speed, one to two for pupal recovery and size, two for adult emergence, and about four for adult Hightability. When the laboratory-adapted strain was partly renewed by crossing its females with wild males, no substantial differences from the laboratory-adapted strain were observed during the first six generations.