Exceptional Longevity in the Tephritid, Ceratitis rosa, a Close Relative of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly

Abstract

This study shows that the fruit fly, Ceratitis rosa (Karsch), has a significantly longer life span than the medfly, C. capitata (Wiedemann); the species used as a model organism for the demographics of insect aging. This was somewhat surprising given that both have similar distributions and overlapping niches. We postulate that the greater longevity of C. rosa is related to the fact that it can occupy colder habitats where the availability of suitable host plants may be very unpredictable in both time and space.