Apple Maggot Fly

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Rhagoletis pomonella: /ræɡoʊˈlɛtɪs pəˈmɒnɛlə/

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Summary

Rhagoletis pomonella, or the Apple Maggot Fly, is a significant pest primarily affecting apples by laying eggs in the fruit and causing damage through larval feeding. The species has adapted from feeding on wild hawthorns to cultivated apples since their introduction in North America.

Physical Characteristics

Adults are black, slightly smaller than a house fly, with three or four white stripes across the body in males and females respectively, and have a prominent white spot in the middle of the back. The wings are clear with four black bands shaped like the letter 'F.' Larvae are white to pale-yellowish, legless, with a small black, pointed head-capsule.

Identification Tips

The adult form is about 5 mm (0.20 in) long. Larvae are often confused with larvae of codling moths, which feed in the apple's core rather than on the fruit flesh. Adult females are shiny black with white markings and an average length of 6.25 mm. Males are smaller, averaging 4–5 mm.

Habitat

Prevalent in cultivated and wild fruit habitats, including apple trees, wild hawthorn, and other fruit-bearing plants.

Distribution

Native to North America, primarily found in the northeastern and midwestern US, eastern Canada, and has spread to the western US including Oregon, Washington, and northern California.

Diet

Primarily feeds on apples, but also on wild hawthorn, and occasionally on other cultivated fruits including cherries, peaches, and plums.

Life Cycle

One generation per year; adults emerge in summer (mid-June), with peak emergence in July and August. Larvae feed on the fruit and pupate in the soil or decayed fruit.

Reproduction

Females deposit 300 to 400 eggs in the skin of the fruit using an ovipositor. Eggs hatch within 2 to 6 days, and larvae feed on the apple flesh.

Predators

Occasionally preyed upon by spiders, birds, ants, and parasitized by braconid wasps such as Utetes canaliculatus and Opius mellus.

Ecosystem Role

Involved in fruit decay processes and interact with predators and parasitoids.

Economic Impact

Significant pest for apple crops, causing economic losses due to fruit damage and premature drop of apples.

Collecting Methods

• Traps placed near fruit trees
• Visual inspection of infested fruit

Preservation Methods

• Cold storage of infested apples at 32°F for 40 days

Evolution

Represents adaptive evolution; the species evolved from a hawthorn-feeding race to one that utilizes apples due to the introduction of apples into North America. This is an example of sympatric speciation.

Similar Taxa

• Rhagoletis mendax (Blueberry Maggot Fly)

Misconceptions

Often misidentified as the railroad worm; the apple maggot is distinct and refers to a type of fruit fly, not a beetle larva.

Tags

• pest
• fruit fly
• apple
• agriculture
• North America