Incompatible insect technique: incompatible males from a<i>Ceratitis capitata</i>genetic sexing strain

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic>are obligatory intracellular and maternally inherited bacteria that infect and spread through natural arthropod populations by inducing male‐killing, feminization, parthenogenesis, and, most commonly, unidirectional and bidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Cytoplasmic incompatibility can be used to control natural populations of insect pests, in a way analogous to the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), namely through the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT). For the successful application of the IIT (based on a unidirectional CI approach) against a target species, it is essential that only males are released, as the release of females would lead to fertile matings between the released males and the released females and the establishment of a<jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic>‐carrying field population. In the present study, we describe a<jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic>‐infected line of the VIENNA 8 genetic sexing strain of the Mediterranean fruit fly,<jats:italic>Ceratitis capitata</jats:italic>(Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), that carries the selectable marker<jats:italic>temperature sensitive lethal</jats:italic>(<jats:italic>tsl</jats:italic>). We show that (1) transferred<jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic>induce high levels of CI even after the temperature treatment required for the male‐only production, and (2) the<jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic>‐infected genetic sexing<jats:italic>C. capitata</jats:italic>line can be used in cage population suppression experiments analogous to the SIT. We also discuss our results in a comparison between IIT and SIT, investigating whether irradiation and cytoplasmic factors can be combined toward the development of novel strategies for insect pest control.</jats:p>