Urophora cardui

Urophora cardui or the Canada thistle gall fly is a fruit fly which, contrary to its common name, is indigenous to Central Europe from the United Kingdom east to near the Crimea, and from Sweden south to the Mediterranean.

Urophora cardui
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Diptera
Family:
Tephritidae
Genus:
Urophora
Subgenus:
Urophora
Species:
U. cardui
Binomial name
Urophora cardui
Synonyms

Distribution

The Canada thistle gall fly has been introduced to North America from Europe to control the population of its host plant, Canada, or creeping thistle, which is an invasive, introduced weed in North America.

Gall formed by U. cardui on Cirsium arvense

Life cycle

The fly starts life as an egg, with from one to thirty, laid on the stems of its host plant, the Canada or creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense), during the host's growing season. After hatching, the larvae burrow into the stem and form a gall (or swelling). During maturing, the larva will be 98% of its full body weight, and appear as an adult. The larvae pupate in early spring for 24 to 35 days in the gall and appear reddish brown. The fly escapes through a tunnel during June to October.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.