Mediterranean Fruit Fly

Ceratitis capitata

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia β€ΊPhylum: Arthropoda β€ΊClass: Insecta β€ΊOrder: Diptera β€ΊFamily: Tephritidae β€ΊGenus: Ceratitis

About

Ceratitis capitata, commonly known as the Mediterranean fruit fly or medfly, is a yellow and brown fruit pest that originates from sub-Saharan Africa. C. capitata has no near relatives in the Western Hemisphere and is considered to be one of the most destructive fruit pests in the world. There have been occasional medfly infestations in the states of California, Florida, and Texas that required extensive eradication efforts to prevent the fly from establishing itself in the...