| (a) The department finds that Anastrepha serpentina (Wiedemann), also known as the sapote fruit fly or serpentine fruit fly, is at any stage of development a dangerous insect pest or plant disease that is not widely distributed in this state. (b) Description of dangerous insect pest or plant disease. The sapote fruit fly, scientific name Anastrepha serpentina (Wiedemann) and also known as the serpentine fruit fly, is a dangerous pest of the numerous host plants listed in §19.174 of this title (relating to Articles Subject to the Quarantine). The fly oviposits in the fruit where the larvae subsequently hatch and begin feeding. The larvae, feeding inside the fruit, cause damage to the flesh of the fruit making it unmarketable. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as well as many other states, consider the sapote fruit fly to be a pest of quarantine significance whose control and eventual eradication from quarantined areas is imperative. (c) Unless otherwise expressly stated, the term "sapote fruit fly" when used in this subchapter refers to any or all developmental stages of the dangerous insect pest or plant disease described in this section. (d) The department is authorized by §71.002 of the Texas Agriculture Code to establish a quarantine against the dangerous insect pest or plant disease identified in this section. |
