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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae" » Tephritoidea » Fruit Flies (Tephritidae) » Tephritinae » Eutretini » Paracantha » Paracantha cultaris
Photo#1803815
Family Tephritidae - Paracantha cultaris
Copyright © 2020 Thumbwave

Family Tephritidae - Paracantha cultaris
San Diego, San Diego County, California, USA
April 23, 2020
Size: 5-7mm
Family Tephritidae - potentially a female with sac? - I believe this to be Paracantha cultaris since they are on our Sunflowers.

"whereas P. cultaris(Coquillett), the third species in California, attacks only Helianthus spp. (Cavender & Goeden 1984)."

REF: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1001&context=hcs_fac

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Contributed by Thumbwave on 23 April, 2020 - 9:31pm
Last updated 24 April, 2020 - 12:03am

Nice pictures!
You were correct in your id, this is Paracantha cultaris. However, this isn't a female, those sacs look like some sort of parasite.

https://bugguide.net/node/view/1673831/bgimage
This is what a normal female looks like, there's no sacs but rather a very prominent ovipositor.

https://bugguide.net/node/view/1619504/bgimage
Here's a similar angle of a male, so it looks like the individual you took a picture of has a growth right between the sternites and tergites of the abdomen!
… Spencer Pote, 24 April, 2020 - 12:08am login or register to post comments

 
Male/Female distinction
Very valuable information. Thank you very much. I will keep my eye out for more males.
… Thumbwave, 24 April, 2020 - 12:20am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Spencer Pote, 24 April, 2020 - 12:03am login or register to post comments

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