Scope
HOW TO USE THIS IDENTIFICATION TOOL
Scoping:
This identification tool includes all fruit fly species which are known to infest edible fruits. The initial list of species chosen for inclusion derives from White and Elson-Harris (1992). Additional species were added based on their designation as pests in subsequent publications such as Doorenweerd (2018). However, the key is aspirational, as the third instar larvae of many pests have never been described. Taxa with undescribed larvae are indicated in the description topic of the Fact Sheets. Those taxa that lack a larval description will not key out in this tool, as no morphological data is available to incorporate into the key. However, they may be discovered by using the host plants topic of the Fact Sheets and data available from USDA Compendium of Fruit Fly Host Information (CoFFHI). Theoretically, they cannot be ruled out as possible solutions to the larval identification in question if they infest the same genus of host plant and occur in the same geographical region.
Fact Sheet Topics:
Pest status - designation as major or minor pest is somewhat arbitrary, but in general, those species that are important to commercial agriculture are considered major pests, and those species that primarily infest edible, noncommercial dooryard or forest hosts are considered minor pests. Non-pest species do not attack edible fruits, and they are indicated with an asterisk in the Fact Sheet index.
Diagnosis - a set of major distinguishing features that separates the larva from all other species.
Description - the full data set of morphological character states known for larvae of a species.
Similar species - species whose larvae are most similar and likely to be confused during the identification process.
Host plants - one particularly comprehensive reference is USDA Compendium of Fruit Fly Host Information (CoFFHI), Edition 5.0. https://coffhi.cphst.org/.
Biogeographic region and distribution - current distribution data is available from USDA Compendium of Fruit Fly Host Information (CoFFHI), Edition 5.0. https://coffhi.cphst.org/.
Status of knowledge - a summary of what is known of the larval morphology of each species.
Specimens examined - specimens examined on which original descriptions were made.
Adult taxonomy - taxonomic status of a species taken from Norrbom et al. (1999).
References - publications in which larval descriptions were made.
Doorenweerd, C., L. Leblanc, A. L. Norrbom, M. San Jose, D. Rubinoff. 2018. A global checklist of the 932 fruit fly species in the tribe Dacini (Diptera, Tephritidae). ZooKeys 730: 17–54.
Norrbom, A. L., L. E. Carroll, F. C. Thompson, I. M. White & A. Freidberg. 1999. Systematic database of names, pp. 65-251. In F. C. Thompson, ed., Fruit Fly Expert Identification System and Systematic Information Database. Myia (1998) 9, vii + 524 pp. & Diptera Data Dissemination Disk (CD ROM) (1998) 1.
White, I. M. and M. Elson-Harris. 1992. Fruit flies of economic significance: their identification and bionomics. International Institute of Entomology, London. 601 p.
