The fruit fly

   The fruit fly is any of the small flies belonging to the family Trypelidae. These plant-eating insects, which inhabit the tropical and temperate regions of the world, are usually less than a quarter of an inch long and are yellow, orange, brown, black, or combinations of these colors. Most species are easily recognized by their mottled wings. The larvae are especially destructive for they bore into the leaves and stems of fruit plants, frequently causing the formalion of galls. From an economic standpoint the most im­portant species is probably the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.
   A cosmopolitan pest, the fruit fly is widely known throughout the world, being parlicularly active in tropical and subtropical regions. Eradication of this fly from Florida in 1929 cost approximately six million dollars. Other fruit flies are the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens, of Mexico, Central America, and southern Texas; the tropical melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae, which seriously injures a variely of fruits and vegetables; the currant and gooseberry fly, Epochra canadensis, of North America; and the cherry fruit flies, Rkagoletis cingulata and R. fausta. The name "fruit fly" is also commonly given to the cosmopolitan vinegar or pomace fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This fly has been used by geneticists in laboratory studies of the principies of inheritance.