The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) identified suspected specimens of the star fruit fly pest during a monitoring operation in Amazonas state.
The discovery was made in a trap set by the Agricultural Defense Secretariat (SDA) in Río Preto da Eva, in the Manaus urban area. The sample was sent to the Federal Agricultural Defense Laboratory of Goiânia (LFDA-GO) for analysis.
“The Mapa teams are already adopting the phytosanitary measures stipulated in SDA Decree No. 776/2025 and in the relevant procedures manual,” says a note from Mapa.
Carambola fly (Bactrocera carambolaeIt is a pest with high economic risk and great destructive power. The insect preferentially attacks star fruit trees, but also other diverse crops, such as mango, guava, acerola, tomato, papaya, pepper, jumbo, cashew nuts, oranges, etc.
This insect has origins in South Asia, and was introduced to the American continent via Suriname in mid-1975. It was first found in Brazil in the state of Amapa, in 1996. Until 2023, cases in Brazilian territory were limited to the states of Roraima and Amapa – with isolated cases occurring in other areas.
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According to Mapa, the pest is considered very dangerous because it causes huge economic losses, affects production, increases costs and imposes restrictions on fruit exports.
Since the first discovery, Mapa has maintained a national monitoring programme, which currently includes around 11,000 traps distributed across the Brazilian territory, depending on the risk of the pest spreading.
“The suspected specimens were caught in one of these traps of the National Carambola Fly Monitoring Programme, which is part of the permanent surveillance measures carried out by the Agricultural Defense,” Mapa says in a note.
The carambola fly does not cause problems to humans and does not transmit diseases. However, this pest causes economic and environmental damage by causing premature fruit drop.
When feeding on fruit – most often star fruit – the insect deposits larvae that become hosts and accelerate the process of ripening and fall of already damaged fruit.