Anastrepha ludens

TaxID: 28586

Basic Information

Anastrepha ludens

Mexican Fruit Fly, Mexican fruit fly

Anastrepha ludens, the Mexican fruit fly or Mexfly, is a species of fly of the Anastrepha genus in the Tephritidae family (fruit flies). It is closely related to the Caribbean fruit fly Anastrepha suspensa, and the papaya fruit fly Anastrepha curvicauda. Anastrepha ludens is native to Mexico and Central America and is a major pest to citrus and mango agriculture in Mexico, Central America, and the lower Rio Grande Valley. The species exhibits high fecundity and relatively long lifespans compared to other species of fruit flies. These qualities make the Mexican fruit fly a particularly aggressive invasive species, especially threatening agriculture because the larvae grow and feed on many different species of fruit. The Anastrepha genus is designated as one of three genera that pose the greatest risk to American agriculture. According to the USDA, A. ludens is the only important member of the Anastrepha genus that is subtropical instead of tropical and thus has a range much further North than most Anastrepha species. Also the USDA estimates that the Mexfly causes $1.44 billion worth of damage in a 5-year time span, mostly to citrus farms. They are frequently designated as an invasive species in Southern California and Arizona and pose a serious threat to Florida's grapefruit agriculture.

from Wikipedia

Taxonomic Information

Metazoa

Arthropoda

Insecta

Diptera

Tephritidae

Anastrepha

ludens

unclassified

Photos (0 photos)

No photos available.

Morphological Features

The wing pattern is the most reliable diagnostic feature for distinguishing Anastrepha ludens from other species. The wings exhibit the typical Anastrepha pattern, with a complete S-band (or at most interrupted at crossvein r-m), a C-band, and at least a proximal arm of the V-band present. The proximal arm of the V-band is as dark as the apical half of the S-band and is not connected anteriorly to it. Other diagnostic characters include: a frons without brown markings except the ocellar tubercle; a mesonotum with three pale postsutural vittae; a scutellum entirely yellow or with dark markings only at the extreme base; a subscutellum that is yellow to orange entirely, or yellow to red-brown medially and dark brown laterally; and an oviscape length of 3.1–6.3 mm, aculeus length of 2.9–5.8 mm, aculeus tip length of 0.28–0.42 mm, and tip width of 0.12–0.14 mm, with lateral margins not curved dorsally.

Source: NCBI Life Stage: Adult Source Type: Scholarly article
Citation:

Foote, R. H., Blanc, F. L., & Norrbom, A. L. (1993). Handbook of the Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) of America North of Mexico. Cornell University Press (as cited in Fruit Fly ID Australia)

Host Plants (49 host plants)

Data sources: EPPO Global Database and relevant literature.

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Quarantine Status (86 records)

Data sources: IPPC website and national quarantine websites; verified by human review.

Country Status Year Added
Antigua and Barbuda Quarantine pests —
Albania Absent —
Argentina Absent 2019
Australia Quarantine pests —
Austria Absent 2019
Burundi Quarantine pests —
Belgium Unknow 2019
Bulgaria Quarantine pest ((EU) 2019/2072 Annex II A) 2019
Bahrain Quarantine pests 2003
Brazil Absent 2018
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Distribution (19 countries)

Data Sources: EPPO Global Database and GBIF.

13
Present
6
Absent
0
Unknown/Other
Country Status State
Argentina Absent —
Belize Present —
Brazil Present —
Colombia Absent —
Costa Rica Present —
Ecuador Present —
Guatemala Present —
Honduras Present —
Japan Present —
Mexico Present —
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Distribution Map (Latitude and longitude coordinates sourced from GBIF.)

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Genomes (6 records)

Data source: NCBI.

Assembly Accession Assembly Level Genome Size(Mb) Contig N50(Kb) Scaffold N50(Kb) BUSCO% Downloads Actions
GCF_028408465.1 Chromosome - - - - -
GCA_037783485.2 Scaffold - - - - -
GCA_037783455.2 Scaffold - - - - -
GCA_029783585.1 Scaffold - - - -
GCA_028414665.1 Scaffold - - - - -
GCA_028408465.1 Chromosome 820 78300 131385 -

Transcriptomes (3 records)

Data source: NCBI.

Run ID Tissue Developmental Stage Sex Read Count Location Actions
SRR33286595 Larva instar 2 - - 25601019 Mexico: Veracruz
SRR33286593 Adult male - - 22511398 Mexico: Veracruz
SRR35028174 Testes Adult male 34500298 Mexico

DNA Barcodes (0 records)

View all

Data source: BOLD.

No DNA barcode records available.

Literature