fruit fly

fruit fly
1. any of numerous small dipterous insects of the family Tephritidae, the larvae of which feed on the fruit of various plants.
2. See vinegar fly.
3. drosophila.
[1745-55]

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Any dipteran species of two families: large fruit flies (Trypetidae) and small fruit flies, or vinegar flies (family Drosophilidae; see drosophila).

The larvae feed on fruit or other vegetation. The adults' wings are banded or spotted with brown. Many species attack cultivated fruits, sometimes causing enough damage to create significant economic loss. Some species are leaf miners; others burrow in plant stems. Well-known fruit-fly pests include the Mediterranean fruit fly and the apple maggot of the U.S., the Mexican and Oriental fruit flies, and the olive fruit fly of the Mediterranean region.

Fruit fly (Trypetidae)

E.S. Ross

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▪ insect
 any two-winged insect of either the family Trypetidae (see photograph—>) or the family Drosophilidae (order Diptera) whose larvae feed on fruit or other vegetative matter. Insects of the family Trypetidae are often referred to as large fruit flies, and those of the Drosophilidae as small fruit flies, or vinegar flies. (See vinegar fly.)

      The fruit fly has wings that are banded or spotted with brown. Many species attack cultivated fruits, causing damage that may lead to significant economic losses. Some fruit flies, such as the European celery fly, are leaf miners; others burrow in plant stems. A species of Eurosta causes a common stem gall (swelling) of goldenrod.

      The Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) lays as many as 500 eggs in citrus fruits (except lemons and sour limes). The larvae tunnel into the flesh of the fruit and make it unfit for human consumption. Discovered in Florida in 1929, the Mediterranean fruit fly was thought to have been eradicated in the United States by 1930 but reappeared in 1956 and in the early 1960s and again, in California, in the 1980s. Because of this pest, worldwide quarantine laws were formed to regulate the entry of fruits into countries.

      The apple maggot, the larva of Rhagoletis pomonella, burrows into apples, causing the fruit to become spongy and discoloured. This species and the closely related cherry fruit fly (R. cingulata) cause extensive losses in the northeastern United States.

      Other widespread pests of this family include the Mexican fruit fly (Anastrepha ludens), which attacks citrus crops; the Oriental fruit fly (Dacus dorsalis), which infests many kinds of subtropical fruits; and the olive fruit fly (Dacus oleae), which destroys olives in the Mediterranean region. Control methods vary with the species involved and include spraying of fruits with insecticides during the egg-laying season, destruction of infested fruit, and control by parasites.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fruit fly — Fruit Fruit, n. [OE. fruit, frut, F. fruit, from L. fructus enjoyment, product, fruit, from frui, p. p. fructus, to enjoy; akin to E. brook, v. t. See {Brook}, v. t., and cf. {Fructify}, {Frugal}.] 1. Whatever is produced for the nourishment or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fruit fly — n a small fly that eats fruit or decaying plants …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • fruit fly — fruit ,fly noun count a very small fly that eats decaying fruit …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • fruit fly — ► NOUN ▪ a small fly which feeds on fruit in both its adult and larval stages …   English terms dictionary

  • fruit fly — fruit′ fly n. 1) ent any of numerous small, black or steely green flies of the family Tephritidae, whose eggs are deposited in fruit for the larvae to feed on after hatching 2) ent Also called drosophila any of numerous similar yellowish flies of …   From formal English to slang

  • Fruit fly — may refer to: * Tephritidae, . the boogers in your nose * Drosophilidae, the ** Drosophila melanogaster , often called the common snot fly, which is an important model organism in modern biology * Gay slang with a meaning similar to fag hag …   Wikipedia

  • fruit fly — n any of various small dipteran flies (as a drosophila) whose larvae feed on fruit or decaying vegetable matter * * * see Drosophila …   Medical dictionary

  • fruit fly — см. Приложение 1 (Drosophila). (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • fruit fly — n. 1. any of a family (Tephritidae) of small dipterous flies whose larvae feed on fruits and vegetables 2. DROSOPHILA …   English World dictionary

  • fruit fly — noun any of numerous small insects whose larvae feed on fruits • Syn: ↑pomace fly • Hypernyms: ↑dipterous insect, ↑two winged insects, ↑dipteran, ↑dipteron • Hyponyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

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