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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae" » Tephritoidea » Fruit Flies (Tephritidae) » Tephritinae » Myopitini » Urophora » Canada Thistle Stem Gall Fly (Urophora cardui)

Species Urophora cardui - Canada Thistle Stem Gall Fly

Classification · Explanation of Names · Range · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited
Urophora cardui on goldenrod - Urophora cardui - female Urophora cardui puparium - Urophora cardui canada thistle stem galls - Urophora cardui Fruit Fly - Urophora cardui - male Canada Thistle Stem Gall Fly - Urophora cardui Canada thistle stem gall fly - Urophora cardui Fly - Urophora cardui - male Urophora cardui
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Acalyptratae")
Superfamily Tephritoidea
Family Tephritidae (Fruit Flies)
Subfamily Tephritinae
Tribe Myopitini
Genus Urophora
Species cardui (Canada Thistle Stem Gall Fly)
Explanation of Names
Urophora cardui (Linnaeus 1758)
Range
native to central and southern Europe; introduced to North America for weed control(1)
Food
Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense)(1)
Life Cycle
One to thirty eggs are laid in stems during plant's growing season. Overwinters in the third instar, mature larva, within a stem gall on Canada thistle. Pupates in early spring.

Larvae
Remarks
Release has been approved by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection service (Canada). It is no threat to non target species. Thistle is reduced by as much as 48% and grasses and forbs return to previously infested areas.
Internet References
Fact sheets: by V. Lanz(1), USDA Forest Service(2), invasive.org(3)
Works Cited
1.Breitenfeldt T., ed. (1999-) Montana war on weeds
2.Integrated Weed Control Project: Biological control agents
3.Invasive and Exotic Species of North America
Contributed by Boris Büche on 15 May, 2007 - 12:36pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Vox Sciurorum, v belov
Last updated 3 May, 2020 - 12:19pm

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