Biological invasions are one of the main causes of biodiversity loss, and it is essential to understand the pattern and rate of expansion of invasive species outside their native distribution. In this study, we documented the invasion of the Asian fruit fly, Drosophila nasuta Lamb, in the Caatinga, and measured its geographical distribution in this environment, which covers 11% of the Brazilian territory. We collected drosophilids in eight sites distributed in the north of the Caatinga (in the state of Ceará), in the south (in Bahia), in the east (in Pernambuco), and in the west (in Piauí), as well as in sites in the central area of the biome. Drosophila nasuta occurred in all areas and was one of the most frequently occurring species in half of the sampled sites. We observed greater abundance in areas with arboreal vegetation and a possible preference of this species for areas with higher annual rainfall in the Caatinga. Of all the biomes where D. nasuta is found in Brazil, the area occupied in the Caatinga is the largest documented to date. Our results show D. nasuta’s success in invading the Caatinga and the vast area this species has colonized in this biome. The success of this invasion can be explained by the high fertility and short life cycle as well as by the ability of D. nasuta to use different trophic resources.

生物入侵是生物多样性丧失的主要原因之一，了解入侵物种在其原生分布之外的扩张模式和速度至关重要。在这项研究中，我们记录了亚洲果蝇 Drosophila nasuta Lamb 在卡廷加的入侵，并测量了其在该环境中的地理分布，该环境覆盖了巴西 11% 的领土。我们在分布在卡廷加北部（塞阿拉州）、南部（巴伊亚）、东部（伯南布哥）和西部（皮奥伊）以及位于生物群系中心区域的地点。果蝇发生在所有地区，是一半采样地点中最常见的物种之一。我们观察到树栖植被地区的丰度更高，并且该物种可能偏爱卡廷加年降雨量较高的地区。在巴西发现D. nasuta的所有生物群落中，Caatinga 占据的区域是迄今为止记录在案的最大区域。我们的研究结果表明D. nasuta成功入侵了卡廷加以及该物种在该生物群落中定居的广阔区域。这种入侵的成功可以用高生育率和短生命周期以及D. nasuta利用不同营养资源的能力来解释。