Delia coarctata

Definition

A species of small grayish root-maggot fly in the family Anthomyiidae (order Diptera), originally described by Fallén in 1825. The larvae are subterranean feeders that tunnel in the stems and roots of cereals and grasses, making this species an occasional pest of wheat, barley, and pasture grasses in cool temperate regions of the Palearctic.

Etymology

Example

Larvae of Delia coarctata cause linear brown streaks in the lower stems of winter wheat; damage is often patchy in fields with compacted or poorly drained soils, and infestations are more common following grass leys or continuous cereal rotations.

Synonyms

• Hylemya coarctata

Related Terms

• Anthomyiidae
• Delia
• root maggot
• Diptera
• Hylemya brassicae
• wheat bulb fly

Usage Notes

Formerly placed in Hylemya; the genus Delia now accommodates most anthomyiid species with root-feeding larvae. Identification requires examination of male terminalia or larval posterior spiracles; adults are nondescript gray flies resembling small house flies. Not to be confused with Delia radicum (cabbage root fly) or Delia platura (seedcorn maggot), which attack crucifers or germinating seeds rather than established cereals.