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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae" » Tephritoidea » Fruit Flies (Tephritidae) » Trypetinae » Toxotrypanini » Anastrepha » Mexican Fruit Fly (Anastrepha ludens)
Photo#1496537
Anastrepha ludens - female
Copyright © 2018 Graham Montgomery

Anastrepha ludens - Female
McAllen Nature Center, Hidalgo County, Texas, USA
February 24, 2018
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Contributed by Graham Montgomery on 2 March, 2018 - 3:52pm
Last updated 3 March, 2018 - 7:57am

Sterile Release
Great picture!

That fly there looks like one of the sterile release flies that are bred in McAllen, TX by USDA. The pink dot on the frons is from the fluorescent powdered die they put all over the pupae. When the pupae emerge, the wet ptilinum gets covered by the powder so when the ptilinum is retracted into the head, the fluorescent die is trapped there, too. In some specimens, the die is so faint that you need an ultraviolet light to verify the presence of the die which fluoresces green.
… Garrett Hughes, 29 April, 2019 - 11:32am login or register to post comments

 
Very cool
Thanks for the information, Garrett!
… Graham Montgomery, 29 April, 2019 - 12:49pm login or register to post comments

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