Xyphosia miliaria

Xyphosia miliaria
	Xyphosia miliaria, female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Tephritidae
Genus:	Xyphosia
Species:	X. miliaria
Binomial name
	Xyphosia miliaria; Schrank, 1781
Synonyms
	Musca miliaria Schrank, 1781; Trypeta meridionalis Costa, 1854; Musca arcuata Fabricius, 1782; Xyphosia cirsiorum Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830; Trupanea sphaerocephali Schrank, 1803; Oxyphora miliara Becker, 1905; Xyphosia miliaria ssp. balcanica Drensky, 1943;

Xyphosia miliaria is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the family Tephritidae.

Description

Xyphosia miliaria on thistle

Xyphosia miliaria may have a body length of 5 to 8 mm and a wingspan of 15 to 18 mm. The thorax and the abdomen are yellowish, sparsely covered with long bristles and the mesonotum is longer than wide. The abdomen is round in males, elongated in the females and the females bear at the end of the abdomen a dark brown, pointed ovipositor. The large compound eyes are orange-red. The wings are decorated with distinctive dark apical and transversal drawings. The adults fly from May to September feeding on nectar and pollen of various flowering plants. Larvae develop on buds of thistles (Carduus nutans, Cirsium arvense, Cirsium palustre, Cirsium eriophorum).

Distribution

This species is present in most of Europe, in East Palearctic ecozone and in the Near East.

Habitat

This species occurs in wet meadows, in parks and gardens with the presence of thistles.

References

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