Environmental-dna-detection
Guides
Rhagoletis pomonella
Apple Maggot, Apple Maggot Fly, Railroad Worm
Rhagoletis pomonella is a tephritid fruit fly native to North America that has undergone a major host shift from native hawthorn to cultivated apple within the last 150 years, making it a primary pest of apple production in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. The species exhibits host race formation, with genetically distinct populations specializing on apple versus hawthorn that show differences in seasonal timing, neurochemistry, and adult eclosion patterns. It has been introduced to the western United States and is subject to intensive monitoring and quarantine efforts due to its economic impact on fruit exports.