Kingdom Animalia Order Diptera Genus Rhagoletis Higher classification Rhagoletis | Phylum Arthropoda Family Tephritidae Scientific name Rhagoletis indifferens Rank Species | |
Similar Rhagoletis, Fly, Tephritidae, Insect, Rhagoletis mendax | ||
The Western cherry fruit fly (Rhagoletis indifferens) is a pest that lives only on cherries. The adult form of this insect is slightly smaller than a housefly, with white stripes across the abdomen, yellow markings near the base of the wings, and black markings on the wings. The larva, which is the stage of this insect's life cycle that causes the actual damage to the fruit, is similar to a typical fly larva or maggot. Female flies lay eggs in the cherries where the larvae feed for 1–2 weeks before exiting. Western cherry fruit flies damage fruit by feeding, in both the adult and larva stages.
Distribution
South-eastern British Columbia in Canada. Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming in the United States. Has been introduced to Switzerland.