Rhagoletis meigenii, common name barberry fly or yellow berberis fruit fly, is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Rhagoletis of the family Tephritidae.IISNomen.at - animals and plants
Distribution This species is present in most of Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine, and United Kingdom), in the Near East and in Central Asia. It has been introduced in the Nearctic realm, in Canada (Nova Scotia) and in USA (Maine, New Hampshire).Fauna Europaea Arturs Stalažs, Maksims Balalaikins Country Checklist of Rhagoletis Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae) for Europe, with Focus on R. Batava and Its Recent Range Expansion
Description Rhagoletis meigenii can reach a body length of about . These flies are characterized by prominent banded wings. These dark bands include an apical crossband, a preapical crossband and a discal crossband. Also the accessory costal crossband is present. The head has two pairs of orbital setae. Scutellum is usually entirely cream to yellow. The background color of the body is orange-yellow.Nature Spot
Biology Adults can be seen from July to August.Inaturalist They feed on pollen and nectar, where as larvae feed on fruit seeds of their preferred host plant (Berberis vulgaris).Bug Guide
Bibliography The Fruit Flies (Tephritidae) of Ontario Mason P.G., Huber J.T. (Eds.). 2002 - Biological control programmes in Canada, 1981-2000 - CABI, Technology & Engineering. 583 pp. Thompson, F. C. & Vockeroth, J. R. (May 27, 2007). 66. Family Tephritidae". Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog – Web Version.
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