Interspecific variation in tephritid fruit fly larvae surface hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons extracted from seven species of tephritid fruit fly larvae were analyzed using capillary column gas‐liquid chromatography and gas‐liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Interspecific variation in hydrocarbon patterns was evaluated using both classical and nonparametric discriminant analysis for four of the seven Anastrepha taxa; A. acris, A. Fraterculus, A. suspensa and A. obliqua . Three of the four taxa, excluding A. acris , were correctly classified using a linear discriminant model at 72–83% and a nonparametric kernel density discriminant model at 87–92%. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss. Inc.