''Dirioxa pornia'', commonly known as the island fly, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
fruit fly native to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
Description
Adults of ''D. pornia'' have the following features: length 5.5–8.5 mm,
antennal arista plumose on the dorsal surface but bare on the ventral; thorax scutum mostly red-brown with 6 scutellar
setae
In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms.
Animal setae
Protostomes
Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...
,
scutellum flat and bare of microsetae, abdomen with black tip, tibia of the mid leg with one strong apical spine, a distinctive dark pattern on the wing, and abdominal
tergites
A ''tergum'' (Latin for "the back"; plural ''terga'', associated adjective tergal) is the dorsal ('upper') portion of an arthropod segment other than the head. The anterior edge is called the 'base' and posterior edge is called the 'apex' or 'mar ...
fulvous (reddish-yellow, tawny) with the third to fifth having transverse black patterns.
In adult males, the surstylus is short and thick, while in adult females, the aculeus is rounded and blunt at the apex.
Range
This species occurs in eastern Australia (
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
) and has also been introduced to
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
Ecology
''Dirioxa pornia'' attacks ripe, damaged and fallen fruit of plants in many different families.
It is unable to attack healthy fruit, possibly due to the larvae being unable to penetrate the rind.
In orchids, density of ''D. pornia'' is related to the density of fallen and discarded fruit on the orchid floor.
Quarantine significance
While it is not an economically significant pest, ''D. pornia'' larvae resemble larvae of pest tephritid species, requiring
molecular techniques to distinguish them. Detections of ''D. pornia'' in fruit exported from Australia are thus quarantine issues until molecular identification is completed.
References
Phytalmiinae
{{Phytalmiinae-stub