Analysis of Morphological and Genetic Diversity of Fruit Flies (Bactrocera spp.) on Chili Plants in East Java, Indonesia

Fruit flies of the genus Bactrocera spp. are important pest that infests many horticultural crops, including chili. With a significant economic impact, the genetic diversity and population dynamics of this pest have not been widely explored. The purpose of this study was to understand the diversity of fruit flies that infest chili in East Java, Indonesia. Morphological characterization was validated by genetic analysis of mt-COI DNA sequences. Infested chili fruits were collected from 18 locations in 6 production center districts. The results of morphological identification obtained the species Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera carambolae. Genetic validation of representative DNA sequences showed high homology with mt-COI sequences from two species, namely: B. dorsalis, with 99.41% similarity to accession MG689254.1, and B. carambolae, with 99.85% similarity to accession KF659631. These results can confirm the identification of fruit fly samples morphologically. However, inter- and intraspecies genetic variations between B. dorsalis and B. carambolae show high diversity, which allows for similarities in both species. Groups B. dorsalis and B. carambolae. The study samples have their own groups that are different from the same species from other sequences that have been reported. This shows variation due to geographical factors. Morphology-based identification is an effective approach for fruit flies. However, integrated barcoding, a combination of morphological taxonomy and molecular methods, improves the accuracy and validation of identification results.