Histopathological Effect of Malathion and Spinosad on Female Reproductive System of Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Entomology, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

2 Institute of Insect Population Research, Toxicology Department, Central Agriculture Pesticides Laboratory, A. R. C, Egypt.

10.21608/eajbsf.2025.435596

Abstract

The peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders), is one of the most destructive tephritid pests that spreads in several regions of the world. It has been a serious pest in the last decade, attacking a wide range of fruits in Egypt. The histopathological effects of LC50 treatments with Malathion and Spinosad for five generations on the ovary of B. zonata females were studied under laboratory conditions. The investigation was carried out at intervals 1-, 2- and 3- weeks old of female life span. The results showed that Malathion and Spinosad caused changes in the ovary of treated insects compared to the normal, where the damage appeared from 1-week-old and reached to its maximum in 3- weeks-old females. The ovary of Malathion- treated female contains unarranged ovarioles and egg chamber filled with an intact mass, this damage reached to maximum in 3- weeks-old female, represented as no obvious ovary outlines. Furthermore, in ovary of Spinosad 1- week-old female the egg chamber lost its circular or oval shape and retardation in ovarioles development in 3-weeks-old female. Finally, these results revealed that Spinosad had a more impact on female ovaries than Malathion.

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