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World researchers honour International Institute of Tropical Agriculture scientist for discovery and description of new species of fruit fly


Ibadan, Nigeria
August 21, 2013

Eminent international fruit fly taxonomists of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium (MRAC); and the Natural History Museum, London, England have honoured Dr. Georg Goergen, Head of the Biodiversity Centre of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), for his continued assessment activities on the West African insect fauna which have recently led to the discovery and description of a new species of fruit fly (Dacus) in Benin and Togo.

Consequently, these international bodies of taxonomists have named the new species of fruit fly after Dr Goergen, as Dacus goergeni.

In discussing the diversity of frugivorous fruit fly, the European Journal of Taxonomy reports that the diversity of the new species (Dacus goergeni) has been compared at national level and between the ecoregions within the national boundaries of the study area.

Dacus goergeni was discovered when roughly 10,000 fly specimens collected in about 2000 sampling events in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria were thoroughly examined.

 

Dr Manuele Tamò, IITA Entomologist and Head of IITA-Benin, said the discovery is so far unexpected as the genus Dacus comprised until now already 194 further named species and the most recent Africa-wide revision of the group is only dated from 2006 with some amendments made in late 2009.

Dacus goergeni belongs to one of the three main African genera of fruit-attacking flies within the family Tephritidae of which several are of high economical importance, causing severe damage to fruits and vegetables, and are a major constraint to commercial and subsistence farming in sub Saharan Africa.

Fruit infestation on average can reach 20-40% and is considered the main bottleneck for production and export of quality (sub)tropical fruits throughout the continent.

IITA Director General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga commended Dr Goergen, noting that the honor demonstrates the research excellence in IITA.

A German citizen, Dr Goergen joined the team of the biological control program against the cassava mealybug at IITA Ibadan in 1987, under the framework of a GTZ sponsored fellowship, and completed his PhD in entomology at the Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany in 1992.

With financial support by the Austrian government, he was then appointed as a postdoctoral scientist at IITA Cotonou, Benin where he gradually established an institutional taxonomic capacity for arthropods of agricultural importance with focus on integrated pest management, habitat management and biological control of various important agricultural pests in tropical Africa.

 As a senior entomologist, he provided biosystematics support to IITA and its collaborating scientific community and developed over a 20-year timeframe one of the largest insect reference collection of West Africa. Currently, he is in charge of an SDC-funded biological control project to control the newly introduced papaya mealybug in close collaboration with national partners from six countries in West and Central Africa.



More news from: IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture)


Website: http://www.iita.org

Published: August 21, 2013

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