Rhagoletis cerasi

Definition

A species of fruit fly in the family Tephritidae, described by Linnaeus in 1758. The species is known to include described infraspecific forms: subspecies nigripes Rohdendorf, 1961 and fasciata Rohdendorf, 1961, and form obsoleta Hering, 1936.

Etymology

Example

Rhagoletis cerasi is one of several Rhagoletis species whose host-race formation and potential for sympatric speciation have been studied as model systems in evolutionary biology, paralleling the better-known case of Rhagoletis pomonella.

Related Terms

• Tephritidae
• Rhagoletis
• Rhagoletis pomonella
• fruit fly
• host race
• Sympatric speciation

Usage Notes

Use the full binomial with authority (Linnaeus, 1758) in formal taxonomic contexts. The infraspecific forms nigripes, fasciata, and obsoleta are rarely encountered in general literature; most ecological and agricultural references treat the species as a single unit. Not to be confused with the apple maggot Rhagoletis pomonella, a closely related species with overlapping geographic range in North America.