Rempoulakis, P., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria, Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Center, Beit Dagan, Israel
Afshar, N., School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, United Kingdom
Osorio, B., Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. IPN 2508, Zacatenco, Mexico City, Mexico
Barajas-Aceves, M., Departamento de Biotecnología y Bioingenería, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. IPN 2508, Zacatenco, Mexico City, Mexico
Szular, J., School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, United Kingdom
Ahmad, S., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Dammalage, T., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Tomas, U.S., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Nemny-Lavy, E., Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Center, Beit Dagan, Israel
Salomon, M., Citrus Division, The Israel Cohen Institute for Biological Control, Plants Production and Marketing Board, Beit Dagan, Israel
Vreysen, M.J.B., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Nestel, D., Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Center, Beit Dagan, Israel
Missirlis, F., Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. IPN 2508, Zacatenco, Mexico City, Mexico
Rempoulakis, P., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Afshar, N., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Osorio, B., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Barajas-Aceves, M., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Szular, J., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Nemny-Lavy, E., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Salomon, M., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Vreysen, M.J., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Nestel, D., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria
Missirlis, F., IAEA Laboratories, Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf, Austria

Μetal cofactors are required for enzymatic catalysis and structural stability of many proteins. Physiological metal requirements underpin the evolution of cellular and systemic regulatory mechanisms for metal uptake, storage and excretion. Considering the role of metal biology in animal evolution, this paper asks whether metal content is conserved between different fruit flies. A similar metal homeostasis was previously observed in Drosophilidae flies cultivated on the same larval medium. Each species accumulated in the order of 200 µg iron and zinc and approximately ten-fold less manganese and copper per gram dry weight of the adult insect. In this paper, data on the metal content in fourteen species of Tephritidae, which are major agricultural pests worldwide, are presented. These fruit flies can be polyphagous (e.g., Ceratitis capitata) or strictly monophagous (e.g., Bactrocera oleae) or oligophagous (e.g., Anastrepha grandis) and were maintained in the laboratory on five distinct diets based on olive oil, carrot, wheat bran, zucchini and molasses, respectively. The data indicate that overall metal content and distribution between the Tephritidae and Drosophilidae species was similar. Reduced metal concentration was observed in B. oleae. Feeding the polyphagous C. capitata with the diet of B. oleae resulted in a significant quantitative reduction of all metals. Thus, dietary components affect metal content in some Tephritidae. Nevertheless, although the evidence suggests some fruit fly species evolved preferences in the use or storage of particular metals, no metal concentration varied in order of magnitude between these two families of Diptera that evolved independently for over 100 million years. © 2014 The Author(s)