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Toxotrypana Gerstaecker (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Recognition
Species of Toxotrypana are wasplike in appearance.  The body is elongate, yellow with dark brown markings, and the wing pattern includes only a broad costal band extending the length of the wing and a faint streak on the cubital cells. Toxotrypana species can be easily distinguished from other Tephritidae by the following characters: scutum with a medial, longitudinal depression; vein R₂₊₃ with 3 sharp bends, often with spur veins arising from them; most head and thoracic setae (including ocellar, frontal, orbital, postpronotal, presutural supra-alar, acrostichal, dorsocentral, intra-alar, anepisternal, katepisternal, and basal scutellar setae) reduced in size or absent; male wing usually with costal setulae stout; abdomen elongate and petiolate, the first segment (syntergite 1+2) narrowed medially.

Additional useful diagnostic characters include: dorsocentral seta much closer to level of postalar seta than to level of postsutural supra-alar seta; lateral surstylus short; glans with basal membranous lobe with minute spicules; oviscape tube-shaped, elongate (at least as long as abdomen), basally with flangelike lateral lobe; eversible membrane enlarged basally, this area dorsally with enlarged, toothlike scales; aculeus long and slender, well sclerotized; 3 spermathecae.
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Classification and Evolutionary Relationships
Order: Diptera. Family: Tephritidae. Subfamily: Trypetinae. Tribe: Toxotrypanini. Genus: Toxotrypana. Author: Gerstaecker.
The phylogenetic relationships of Toxotrypana to other fruit flies were discussed by Norrbom et al. (1999) and McPheron et al. (1999). The most closely related genus is Anastrepha Schiner, although there is some question about whether the latter genus is a natural (i.e., monophyletic) group without the inclusion of Toxotrypana.
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Diversity & Distribution
Toxotrypana includes seven currently recognized species as well as at least six undescribed species (Norrbom et al. 1999). Their combined range includes the southern Nearctic Region (north to southern Texas and Florida) and all of the Neotropical Region, except Chile, southern Argentina, and several of the Lesser Antilles.
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Names Used for this Genus
Toxotrypana Gerstaecker 1860: 191 (Type species: T. curvicauda Gerstaecker by monotypy).
Mikimyia Bigot 1884: xxix (Type species: M. furcifera Bigot (= T. curvicauda Gerstaecker) by monotypy).
Toxytrypana Williston 1908: 283 [misspelling].
Toxotrypanea: Curran 1931: 14 [misspelling].
Click here to link to fly names database for full nomenclatural data.

Biology
Toxotrypana species breed in thick-husked fruits of latex producing plants in the families Asclepiadaceae, Caricaceae, and possibly Apocynaceae. The larvae feed on the developing seeds and related tissues.

Economic Significance
Toxotrypana includes two species reported to attack papayas (Carica spp.), including T. curvicauda, which is known as the papaya fruit fly and is considered a significant pest of comercial papayas.

Comments

References
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Blanchard, E. E. 1960. El genero Toxotrypana en la Republica Argentina (Diptera, Trypetidae). Acta Zool. Lilloana (1959) 17: 33-44. [taxonomy]
Baker, A. C., Stone, W. E., Plummer, C. C. & McPhail, M. 1944. A review of studies on the Mexican fruitfly and other related Mexican species. U. S. Dept. Agric. Misc. Publ. No. 531. 155 pp.
Foote, R. H., Blanc, F. L. & Norrbom, A. L. 1993. Handbook of the fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) of America north of Mexico. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca. xii + 571 p.
Gerstaecker, A. 1860. Beschreibung einiger ausgezeichneten neuen Dipteren aus der Familie Muscariae. Stettin. Entomol. Ztg. 21: 163-202. [p. 194, original description]
Hendel 1914. Die Bohrfliegen Südamerikas. Übersicht und Katalog der bisher aus der neotropischen Region beschriebenen Tephritinen. Abh. Ber. K. Zool. Anthrop. Ethnogr. Mus. (1912) 14 (3): 1-84. [p. 10, review]
Heppner, J. B. 1986. Larvae of fruit flies. III. Toxotrypana curvicauda (Papaya fruit fly) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Fla. Dep. Agric. Consum. Serv. Div. Plant Ind. Entomol. Circ. 282: 2 p. [larva]
Landolt, P. J. 1999. Behavior of flies in the genus Toxotrypana (Trypetinae: Toxotrypanini), p. 363-373. In M. Aluja & A. L. Norrbom, eds., Fruit flies (Tephritidae): Phylogeny and evolution of behavior. CRC Press, Boca Raton. [16] + 944 p. [behavior, biology].
Norrbom, A. L. 1985. Phylogenetic analysis and taxonomy of the cryptostrepha, daciformis, robusta, and schausi species groups of Anastrepha Schiner (Diptera: Tephritidae). Dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, University Park. xvi + 354 + [1] p.
McPheron, B. A., H.-Y. Han, J. G. Silva & A. L. Norrbom. 1999. Phylogeny of the genera Anastrepha and Toxotrypana (Trypetinae: Toxotrypanini) based upon 16S rRNA mitochondrial DNA sequences, p. 343-361. In M. Aluja & A. L. Norrbom, eds., Fruit flies (Tephritidae): Phylogeny and evolution of behavior. CRC Press, Boca Raton. [16] + 944 p. [phylogenetic relationships]
Norrbom, A. L., L. E. Carroll, F. C. Thompson, I. M. White & A. Freidberg. 1999. Systematic database of names, pp. 65-251. In F. C. Thompson (ed.), Fruit Fly Expert Identification System and Systematic Information Database. Myia 9, vii + 524 pp. & Diptera Data Dissemination Disk (CD-ROM) (1998) 1. [type data, distribution, synonymy]
Norrbom, A. L., R. A. Zucchi & V. Hernández-Ortiz. 1999. Phylogeny of the genera Anastrepha and Toxotrypana (Trypetinae: Toxotrypanini) based on morphology, p. 299-342. In M. Aluja & A. L. Norrbom, eds., Fruit flies (Tephritidae): Phylogeny and evolution of behavior. CRC Press, Boca Raton. [16] + 944 p. [phylogenetic relationships]
Snow, W. A. 1895. On Toxotrypana of Gerstaecker. Kans. Univ. Q. 4: 117-119. [classification]
Tigrero, J. O. 1998. Revisión de especies de moscas de la fruta presentes en el Ecuador. Published by the author, Sangolquí, Ecuador. 55 p.