Terellia tussilaginis explained

Terellia tussilaginis, the gall fly, is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the family Tephritidae.^[1]

Distribution

This species is present in most of Europe, in European Russia and in the East Palearctic ecozone.^{[2] [3]}

Habitat

These flies inhabit meadows, gardens and where the host plants grow.

Description

Terellia tussilaginis can reach a body length of about . These fruit flies have a pale green yellow body with distinctive brown banding on its wings.^[4] The costal cell is completely hyaline. Katepisternum shows reddish spots. The anterior half of mesonotum is reddish to brown. Tergite 4 is usually black.^[5]

Biology

Adults can be seen from June to August.^[4] The larvae live in the flowerheads of Arctium lappa, Arctium minus, Arctium tomentosum and Cirsium vulgare, feeding on them and causing galls to form.^{[4] [6] [7]}

Notes and References

1. https://www.biolib.cz/en/taxon/id124872/ Biolib
2. https://fauna-eu.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/e53a5b42-a8a8-4771-8e5b-a18f1e54a313 Fauna europaea
3. Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D. Catalogue of life
4. https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/terellia-tussilaginis Nature Spot
5. Korneyev . V.A. . New and little-known Tephritidae (Diptera, Cyclorrhapha) from Europe . Vestnik Zoologii . 2003 . 37 . 3 . 3–12, 101 . 26 April 2021.
6. White. Ian. M.. Tephritid Flies. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. 1988. 10. Pt 5a. 1–134. Royal Entomological Society. London.
7. https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/302472 iNaturalist