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fruit fly
insect
- Related Topics:
- gnat
- Drosophilidae
- Trypetidae
- Acalyptrata
fruit fly, any two-winged insect of either the family Trypetidae or the family Drosophilidae (order Diptera) whose larvae feed on fruit or other vegetative matter. Insects of the family Trypetidae are often referred to as large fruit flies, and those of the Drosophilidae as small fruit flies or vinegar flies. (See vinegar fly.) The fruit fly has wings that are banded or spotted with brown. Many species attack cultivated fruits, causing damage that may lead to significant economic losses. Some fruit flies, such as the European celery fly, are leaf miners; others burrow in plant stems. A species of Eurosta ...(100 of 306 words)