False Peacock fly - Chaetorellia succinea - Medford, Jackson County, Oregon, USA August 28, 2008 Size: 5mm
Attracted to light. Introduced from Greece in 1988 to control the widespread star thistle weed in the western U.S. The larvae feed on the developing seeds. The false peacock fly (C. succinea) was mistakenly released because it resembled closely the yellow star thistle peacock fly (C. australis) which was the primary biological control agent of star thistle at the time. The flies can be distinguished from each other by the presence of six black spots on the dorsal surface of the thorax (C. succinea), and four spots for C. australis.
Contributed by Ross Hill on 29 March, 2009 - 2:30pm Last updated 11 September, 2022 - 12:48am |