Terellia serratulae
Species of fly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Terellia serratulae is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the family Tephritidae.[5]
| Terellia serratulae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Terellia serratulae. Male on a Cirsium flowerhead | |
 | |
| Terellia serratulae. Female with ovipositor | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Tephritidae |
| Subfamily: | Tephritinae |
| Tribe: | Terelliini |
| Genus: | Terellia |
| Species: | T. serratulae |
| Binomial name | |
| Terellia serratulae | |
| Synonyms | |
Description
Terellia serratulae can reach a length of about 4–6 millimetres (0.16–0.24 in). This bluish clear-winged fruit fly has a hairy abdomen with a chequered black pattern. The apex of the antennae is reddish or yellow-orange. In the females the length of the ovipositor corresponds approximately to the length of the last three abdominal segments (tergites).[6][7]
The females deposit eggs into the opened thistle flowerheads. The young larvae start feeding on the achenes of thistles (mainly Cirsium and Carduus species), but they do not induce gall-forming. They develop in the flower-heads (capitulum) of thistles in a cocoon of silk and plant hairs (pappus). This univoltine species overwinters in the larval stage. Adults are on the wing from July to September.[8]
Distribution and habitat
This species can be found around thistles in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, in the Near East, and in North Africa.[9]