| Tephritis formosa | |
|---|---|
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| Tephritis formosa. Dorsal view | |
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| Side view | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Tephritidae |
| Subfamily: | Tephritinae |
| Tribe: | Tephritini |
| Genus: | Tephritis |
| Species: | T. formosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Tephritis formosa | |
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| Range of Tephritis formosa in Europe | |
| Synonyms | |
Tephritis formosa is a species of tephritid fly. [2] It is one of many species known commonly as gall fly.
This species is found in most countries across Europe (Albania, Andorra, Austria, Balearic Islands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Ireland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine) and it also occurs in the Near East (Turkey, Caucasus, Israel and Iran). [3] [4] [5]
These flies inhabit a wide range of habitats, but mainly prefer meadows, grassland and urban gardens where the host plants grow. [6]
The adult male of Tephritis formosa is 4 to 5 mm long with wings about 4 mm long. The females are about 5 to 6 mm in length with wings of about 4 to 5 mm. The thorax and the abdomen are brownish. The head shows yellow-reddish eyes. The abdomen of the females ends in a tapered ovipositor, while it is rather rounded in males. The legs are yellowish. These small flies have light beige wings with large dark brown markings and small hyaline areas. The apical fork is missing. There are only some brown spots at end of veins R4+5 and M. [5] [7] [6]
The host plants for the larva are hawksbeards ( Crepis virens ), [5] cat's ear ( Hypochaeris radicata ) [5] [8] and sow-thistle ( Sonchus olearius , Sonchus aspera , Sonchus arvensis ). [5] [6] [9]
Larvae invade the flower heads, causing galls to form. [6] [10]
The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus Drosophila, which is often called the "common fruit fly". Nearly 5,000 described species of tephritid fruit fly are categorized in almost 500 genera of the Tephritidae. Description, recategorization, and genetic analyses are constantly changing the taxonomy of this family. To distinguish them from the Drosophilidae, the Tephritidae are sometimes called peacock flies, in reference to their elaborate and colorful markings. The name comes from the Greek τεφρος, tephros, meaning "ash grey". They are found in all the biogeographic realms.
Tephritis is a genus of flies. It contains around 170 described species, making it the sixth largest genus in the family Tephritidae. Many more undescribed species are known from specimen collections. Tephritis occur throughout much of the world, but most are Palearctic. They can be found in a wide range of climate types, from hot semidesert to tundra. Most species inhabit the inflorescences of plants from several tribes in the family Asteraceae, and a few species cause galls to form.
Terellia is a genus of tephritid or fruit flies in the family Tephritidae.
Urophora is a genus of tephritid or fruit flies in the family Tephritidae.
Xyphosia miliaria is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the family Tephritidae.
Trypeta immaculata is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Trypeta of the family Tephritidae.
Tephritis neesii is a species of fly found across Europe. It mostly lives on Leucanthemum vulgare.
Ensina sonchi is a species of fly in the family Tephritidae, the gall flies. It is found in the Palearctic. The larvae feed on the flower heads of Asteraceae.
Terellia ceratocera is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the family Tephritidae.
Tephritis ovatipennis is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Tephritis of the family Tephritidae found in the United States.
Tephritis praecox is a species is a species of fly in the family Tephritidae found across Europe.
Urophora doganlari is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Urophora of the family Tephritidae.
Tephritis volkovitshi is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Tephritis of the family Tephritidae.
Tephritis afrostriata is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Tephritis of the family Tephritidae.
Tephritis hurvitzi is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Tephritis of the family Tephritidae.
Tephritis candidipennis is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Tephritis of the family Tephritidae found in the United States.
Tephritis signatipennis is a species of tephritids or fruit flies in the genus Tephritis of the family Tephritidae found in the United States.
Tephritis merzi is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Tephritis of the family Tephritidae.
Tephritis conyzifoliae is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Tephritis of the family Tephritidae.
Tephritis ozaslani is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Tephritis of the family Tephritidae.
