Apple Maggot
Rhagoletis pomonella
Summary 5
The apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella), also known as railroad worm, is a pest of several fruits, mainly apples. Before the arrival of apples from Europe, it was found mainly in hawthorns.
Evolution 6
Rhagoletis pomonella is significant evolutionarily in that the race of this species that feeds on apples spontaneously emerged from the hawthorn feeding race in the 1800 - 1850 AD time frame after apples were introduced into North America. The apple feeding race does not now normally feed on hawthorns and the hawthorn feeding race does not now normally feed on apples. This constitutes a possible example of an early step towards the emergence of a new species, a case of sympatric speciation.
The emergence of the apple race of Rhagoletis pomonella also appears to have driven formation of new races among its parasites.
Associations 7
Flies of the family Tephritae have a well studied ability to mimic primary predator's territorial behavior. Zonosemata vittigera, a member of the same family as R. mendax, will wave its wings at an attacking spider in a display that closely matches this spiders intraspecific territorial display. In the majority of cases, this display will cause the attacking spider to back off, not wishing to fight what it sees as another spider over its terrritory.
Known Predators:
- nonsalticid spider (Oxyopes salticus)
- assasin bug (Pselliopus zebra)
- praying mantis (Mantis religiosa)
- whiptail lizard (Cnemidophorus uniparens)
Behaviour 8
These flies communicate with each other primarily through contact pheromones. Most of these pheromones are either alkanes or alkenes, and they are highly volatile for maximum dispersion. The exception to this is the mating pheromone which has not been classified but is thought to be an aromatic. The flies commonly produce about twenty separate pheromones, although upwards of thirty have been identified.
Communication Channels: chemical
Other Communication Modes: pheromones
Perception Channels: visual ; chemical
Habitat 9
Rhagoletis mendax live primarily in apple orchards (hence the name) and at the edge of deciduous forests.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Other Habitat Features: agricultural
Life cycle 10
Fertilized eggs are individually oviposited inside of host fruit. The majority of this fruit is consumed by larvae after hatching. Once the fruit is consumed, larvae drop to the ground and pupate through the winter. In July of the following year adult flies emerge and feed upon leaves and fruit until mating in late August to early September.
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis
Morphology 11
Apple maggots have a yellow or orange head, and legs that range in color from bright yellow to gray. The thorax may range from shiny black to tan depending on enviroment, and is crossed by three white lines (in males) or four white lines (in females). These lines blur together at the sides of the thorax. Eyes are red, and the antennae's third segment is larger and more rounded than the other segments. Four dark bars, sometimes "F" shaped, are present on the wings, which lack an apical spot.
Range length: 5 to 7 mm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently
Reproduction 12
Males perform a courtship dance while the female watches, after which she may choose whether or not to copulate with him. She is attracted by a non-volatile aromatic hydrocarbon pheromone that is yet to be fully identified and classified.
Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Males perform a courtship dance while the female watches, after which she may choose whether or not to copulate with him. She is attracted by a non-volatile aromatic hydrocarbon pheromone that is yet to be fully identified and classified. Fertilized eggs are deposited singly into unripened apples (if available) or other fruit plants.
Breeding season: August to September, adults emerge in July
Range gestation period: 21 to 32 days.
Range : 63 to 170 days.
Average : 107 days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 20 from emergence to 103 days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 20 from emergence to 103 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 41 days.
Key Reproductive Features: sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous
Fertilized eggs are oviposited in unripe apples or other unripe fruit, which provides food for larvae after hatching. There is no further parental care after oviposition.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female)
Uses 13
The apple maggot is an agricultural pest capable of decimating entire crops when in sufficient numbers. Even when using aggressive pest control methods are implemented, which may wipe out adult apple maggot populations one year, some pupae do not emerge until the following year making Rhagoletis mendax very difficult to completely eradicate.
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Sources and Credits
- (c) Ilona L, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/14379121@N03/13356067525/
- (c) BlueRidgeKitties, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/blueridgekitties/20547907782/
- (c) Ilona L, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/14379121@N03/13428212353/
- (c) Jason M Crockwell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Jason M Crockwell
- Adapted by Allie Hay from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhagoletis_pomonella
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_maggot
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31420145
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31420143
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31420138
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31420140
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31420139
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31420141
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31420148
