General Information
Melon Fruit Fly Pest Profile
Common Name:
Melon Fruit FlyScientific Name:
Order and Family:
Description:
The adult melon fly is approximately the size of a housefly, about 6 to 8 mm long. The body is orange-brown in appearance with brown spots along veins of otherwise clear wings. The female has a slender pointed ovipositor to deposit eggs under the skin of the host fruit. The maggots (larvae) are creamy-white, legless and attain a length of 10 mm inside the host fruit.
History and Economic Importance:
The melon fly was first introduced to Hawaii in 1895 and has since become a major agriculture pest, particularly of cantaloupes, cucumbers and watermelons. In all, 34 host species are known to be attacked in Hawaii. The larvae of the melon fly have been recorded in over 100 different hosts worldwide. A great number of crops in California would be threatened by the introduction of this pest including peaches, oranges, beans, tomatoes and most crops in the cucumber family.
Distribution:
The melon fly is native to Asia. The melon fly occurs in Africa, Sri Lanka, China, Guam, India, New Guinea, Taiwan, Rota, the Ryukyu Islands, Thailand and much of Southeast Asia. In the United States, its distribution is limited to the Hawaiian Islands.
Life Cycle:
Females lay eggs under the skin of host fruit, averaging about 15 eggs per day. A female may lay up to 1,000 eggs in her lifetime. The eggs take 19 to 28 hours to hatch depending on temperature. The developing larvae go through three instars which may take from four to 17 days. At maturity, the larvae drop from the fruit and burrow two to three cm beneath the soil to pupate. In nine to 18 days, the adults emerge from these puparia. The newly emerged adults normally require 11 to 12 days to become sexually mature depending on their diet. Breeding is continuous, with several annual generations. Adults live from one to five months and feed on a diverse array of food sources including honeydew, plant exudates, fermenting fruit and animal feces. Completion of the life cycle normally requires one to two months, but may be completed in 15 days under optimal conditions.
Hosts and Damage:
Fruit that has been attacked may be unfit to eat. Larvae tunnel through the flesh as they feed. Decay organisms enter, leaving the interior of the fruit a rotten mass. The melon fly also oviposits in tender plant tissues such as terminals, unopened flowers, young stems, roots, and seedling. This may result in the death of the plant.