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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)

Species Anastrepha ludens - Mexican Fruit Fly

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited

Mexican Fruit Fly, dorsal view - Anastrepha ludens - male

Possible drosophila? - Anastrepha ludens

Anastrepha ludens? - Anastrepha ludens - female

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 Trypetinae

Tribe Toxotrypanini

Genus Anastrepha

Species ludens (Mexican Fruit Fly)

Other Common Names

Mexfly

Explanation of Names

Anastrepha ludens (Loew 1873)

Size

7-11 mm, ovipositor 3.35–4.7 mm(1)

Identification

Notable for the female's long ovipositor and sheath relative to its body size(1)

Eyes are beautiful iridescent green with other colors appearing depending on the angle and intensity of light. Body is mostly yellowish; dorsal surface of thorax browner with longitudinal yellow stripes. Wings marbled with yellowish bands.

Range

native to Mesoamerica; adventive in our area (s US: southmost Texas only as of 2012, historical records from CA and FL)(1)

Habitat

Mainly agricultural, but anywhere with fruit trees

Food

All varieties of citrus except lemons and sour limes are attacked. Grapefruit is the preferred host, with oranges second. Pear, peach and apple are preferred among deciduous hosts. Full list of hosts(1)

Life Cycle

Adult females may be very long-lived, up to 11 months, and highly fecund, laying 1,500 eggs or more. Males appear to be able to survive as long as 16 months.(1) Eggs hatch in 6-12 days. Larval stage lives in fruit pulp and lasts 3-4 weeks, leaving fruit to pupate in soil.

Remarks

earliest record in our area: TX 1927(1)

USDA releases sterile flies to maintain "fly-free zones" in Texas, Mexico, and California. Sterile flies have an orange/pink dye spot on their forehead.

Internet References

Fact sheet (Weems et al. 2012)(1)

Species profile(2)

Fact sheet(3)

Works Cited

1.	University of Florida: Featured Creatures

2.	National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC)

3.	Invasive Species Compendium (ISC)

Contributed by Joshua Stuart Rose on 18 August, 2006 - 12:52pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Mike Quinn, v belov, Tyler Hedlund
Last updated 1 October, 2020 - 3:10pm

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