Rhagoletis pomonella
TaxID: 28610
Basic Information
Rhagoletis pomonella
Apple Maggot, apple maggot
The apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella), also known as the railroad worm (but distinct from the Phrixothrix beetle larva, also called railroad worm), is a species of fruit fly, and a pest of several types of fruits, mostly apples. This species evolved about 150 years ago through a sympatric shift from the native host hawthorn to the domesticated apple species Malus domestica in the northeastern United States. This fly is believed to have been accidentally spread to the western United States from the endemic eastern United States region through contaminated apples at multiple points throughout the 20th century. The apple maggot uses Batesian mimicry as a method of defense, with coloration resembling that of the forelegs and pedipalps of a jumping spider (family Salticidae). The adult form of this insect is about 5 mm (0.20 in) long, slightly smaller than a housefly. The larva, which is the stage of this insect's lifecycle that causes the actual damage to the fruit, is similar to a typical fly larva or maggot. Caterpillars, especially the larvae of the codling moth, that infest the insides of apples are often confused with the apple maggot. However, these organisms generally feed in the apple's core while apple maggots feed on the fruit flesh. The apple maggot larvae are often difficult to detect in infested fruit due to their pale, cream color and small body size. The adult fly lays its eggs inside the fruit. Larvae consume the fruit and cause it to bruise, decay, and finally drop before ripening. The insect overwinters as a pupa in the soil. It only emerges after metamorphosis into a relatively defenseless fly. Adults emerge from late June through September, with their peak flight times occurring in August.
from Wikipedia
Taxonomic Information
Metazoa
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tephritidae
Rhagoletis
pomonella
unclassified
Species
nan
k__Metazoa;p__Arthropoda;c__Insecta;o__Diptera;f__Tephritidae;g__Rhagoletis;s__Rhagoletis pomonella
nan
Arthropods
Photos (5 photos)
Morphological Features
Rhagoletis pomonella adults have a body length of 5–7 mm. The head is yellow or orange, with red eyes. The thorax is shiny black or tan, with three white lines in males and four in females. The wing pattern is characteristic, with a slightly oblique discal band connected to the anterior and posterior apical bands, forming an F-shaped pattern in the apical half; the subapical band is absent. Most specimens have heavy black shading on the posterior surface of the fore femur. Males have an inwardly curved surstyli configuration, which is diagnostic for the species. The ovipositor (aculeus) ranges from 0.90–1.49 mm in northern populations, but southern specimens are generally smaller.
Yee, W. L., Sheets, H. D., & Chapman, P. S. (2011). Analysis of Surstylus and Aculeus Shape and Size Using Geometric Morphometrics to Discriminate Rhagoletis pomonella and Rhagoletis zephyria (Diptera: Tephritidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 104(2), 105–114.
Host Plants (41 host plants)
Data sources: EPPO Global Database and relevant literature.
| Scientific Name | Status |
|---|---|
| Aronia arbutifolia | Host |
| Cotoneaster apiculatus | Host |
| Cotoneaster integerrimus | Host |
| Crataegus | Host |
| Crataegus aestivalis | Host |
| Crataegus crus-galli | Host |
| Crataegus douglasii | Host |
| Crataegus flabellata | Host |
| Crataegus holmesiana | Host |
| Crataegus laevigata | Host |
Quarantine Status (86 records)
Data sources: IPPC website and national quarantine websites; verified by human review.
| Country | Status | Year Added |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | Absent | — |
| Argentina | Absent | 2019 |
| Armenia | Absent | — |
| Austria | Absent | 2019 |
| Azerbaijan | Absent | 2024 |
| Belgium | Unknow | 2019 |
| Bulgaria | Quarantine pest ((EU) 2019/2072 Annex II A) | 2019 |
| Bahrain | Quarantine pests | 2003 |
| Belarus | Absent | 1994 |
| Brazil | Absent | 2018 |
Distribution (14 countries)
Data Sources: EPPO Global Database and GBIF.
| Country | Status | State |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Absent | — |
| Belgium | Absent | — |
| Canada | Present | — |
| Switzerland | Absent | — |
| Colombia | Absent | — |
| Costa Rica | Absent | — |
| Lithuania | Absent | — |
| Mexico | Present | — |
| Netherlands | Absent | — |
| New Zealand | Absent | — |
Distribution Map (Latitude and longitude coordinates sourced from GBIF.)
Download CSVGenomes (2 records)
Data source: NCBI.
| Assembly Accession | Assembly Level | Genome Size(Mb) | Contig N50(Kb) | Scaffold N50(Kb) | BUSCO% | Downloads | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCF_013731165.1 | Scaffold | - | - | - | - | - |
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Rhpom_1.0 |
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| GCA_013731165.1 | Scaffold | 1223 | 23 | 72319 | - |
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Transcriptomes (3 records)
Data source: NCBI.
| Run ID | Tissue | Developmental Stage | Sex | Read Count | Location | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRR3622389 | head | adult | male | 220415 | USA: Illinois, Urbana | |
|
PRJNA324275 SRX1817566 SRP076046 insect Rhagoletis pomonella adult male heads, collected from apple Urbana {'sex': 'male', 'host': 'Malus domestica', 'breed': 'apple', 'tissue': 'head', 'isolate': 'Urbana', 'dev_stage': 'adult', 'geo_loc_name': 'USA: Illinois, Urbana', 'biosamplemodel': 'Invertebrate', 'collection_date': '2009', 'isolation_source': 'apple orchard', 'biomaterial_provider': 'Stewart Berlocher'} |
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| SRR3622460 | head | adult | female | 223634 | USA: Illinois, Urbana | |
|
PRJNA324275 SRX1817567 SRP076046 insect Rhagoletis pomonella adult female heads collected from hawthorn Urbana {'sex': 'female', 'host': 'Crataegus sp.', 'breed': 'haw', 'tissue': 'head', 'isolate': 'Urbana', 'dev_stage': 'adult', 'geo_loc_name': 'USA: Illinois, Urbana', 'biosamplemodel': 'Invertebrate', 'collection_date': '2009', 'isolation_source': 'native hawthorn', 'biomaterial_provider': 'Stewart Berlocher'} |
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| SRR3622465 | head | adult | male | 463504 | USA: Illinois, Urbana | |
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PRJNA324275 SRX1817568 SRP076046 insect Rhagoletis pomonella adult male heads collected from hawthorn Urbana {'sex': 'male', 'host': 'Crataegus sp.', 'breed': 'haw', 'tissue': 'head', 'isolate': 'Urbana', 'dev_stage': 'adult', 'geo_loc_name': 'USA: Illinois, Urbana', 'biosamplemodel': 'Invertebrate', 'collection_date': '2009', 'isolation_source': 'native hawthorn', 'biomaterial_provider': 'Stewart Berlocher'} |
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Literature
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