Meta-analysis, validation and application of fruit fly development times

Tephritid fruit flies have been comparatively well studied because of the damage they cause to horticultural crops in infested countries. New Zealand benefits from this knowledge as it continues to exclude economically damaging fruit fly species. Here, I searched the literature for development times for three species of particular concern to New Zealand: the Mediterranean fruit fly, the Queensland fruit fly, and the oriental fruit fly. The published data were re-analysed to fit development models to the different life stages, and to the generation time and the new models were compared with previously published models for these species. The generation time models were found to give reasonably accurate predictions when validated against published estimates of field voltinism overseas. This paper presents the most comprehensive analysis to date of fruit fly development times and degree day models. Uses of these models in biosecurity are discussed.