Root-maggot
Guides
Delia
root maggot flies, seedcorn maggot flies
Delia is a genus of flies in the family Anthomyiidae, commonly known as root maggot flies. Several species are significant agricultural pests, particularly of cruciferous crops and seedlings. The genus includes economically important species such as Delia platura (seedcorn maggot) and Delia radicum (cabbage maggot), whose larvae feed on seeds, roots, and developing plant tissues. Adults are small, drab flies that feed on nectar and are often mistaken for house flies.
Eutrichota affinis
root-maggot fly
Eutrichota affinis is a species of root-maggot fly in the family Anthomyiidae. The larvae of this group are known as root maggots, developing in soil and feeding on plant roots. Adults are small to medium-sized flies with relatively nondescript morphology typical of anthomyiids. The species has been documented in the northeastern United States.
Phorbia
Wheat bulb fly, Black fly, Onion fly
Phorbia is a genus of true flies in the family Anthomyiidae. Several species are significant agricultural pests, including Phorbia coarctata (Wheat Bulb Fly) on cereals, Phorbia securis (Black Fly) on wheat, and Phorbia cepetorum (Imported Onion Fly) on Allium crops. Some species engage in unusual mutualistic interactions with Epichloe fungi, transporting spermatia between fungal individuals in a manner analogous to insect pollination of angiosperms. The genus occurs in Europe and North America.
Phygadeuon
Phygadeuon is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Ichneumonidae with nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Species in this genus are primarily parasitoids of dipteran hosts, with documented associations including root maggot flies (Anthomyiidae) in agricultural systems. The genus has been recorded from Europe and North America, with some species occasionally utilized in biological control contexts.
Tetanops
picture-winged flies
Tetanops is a genus of picture-winged flies (family Ulidiidae, subfamily Otitinae) containing approximately 20 described species distributed across the Holarctic region. The genus includes both economically significant agricultural pests and non-pest species with specialized ecological associations. The most intensively studied species, Tetanops myopaeformis (sugar beet root maggot), is a major pest of sugar beet in North America, while other species such as T. myopina are psammophilous specialists inhabiting coastal sand dunes. Larval biology varies substantially among species: some develop in living plant roots, others in decaying organic matter, and at least one species is associated with rotting cactus pads.
Tetanops myopaeformis
sugar beet root maggot, sugarbeet root maggot
Tetanops myopaeformis is a picture-winged fly (family Ulidiidae) and the most economically significant pest of sugar beet in North America. Larvae feed on sugar beet roots, causing yield losses up to 100% in affected fields. The species overwinters as freeze-tolerant third-instar larvae in soil, with some individuals exhibiting prolonged diapause lasting multiple years. It is native to North America, though its original host plant remains unidentified; sugar beet, introduced to the continent, became its primary agricultural host.