THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 249 



THE CANTALOUPE FLY. 



Euxesta notata Wied. (Family Ortalidse). 

 (Pig. 245.) 



General Appearance.— The adult flies are slightly over one eighth 

 of an inch long, beautiful metallic green in color with eyes dark brown. 

 The wings are transparent with a distinct black spot near the middle 

 of the front margin and a similar spot near the tip of each. The 

 maggots vary from white to dusky brown, the blunt end being often 

 darker than the rest of the body. They are about one fourth of an 

 inch long when fully matured. 



E. ft ESS15 



Fig. 245. — The cantaloupe fly {Euxesta notata Wied.). Wing and maggot. Enlarged 



five times. (Original.) 



Life History. — The eggs are laid in the tissues of injured or dam- 

 aged fruits and vegetables and while the maggots work principally 

 upon such tissue they are often found in sound and living portions 

 and occasionally in apparently uninjured fruits. The pup[e are found 

 in the decayed hosts or in the soil, the adults emerging in a very short 

 time. Due to the peculiar habits of the larvae, they have often been 

 mistaken for the maggots of the true fruit flies of the family Trypetidce 

 and have been the occasion of great alarm. 



Distribution. — Occur quite commonly over the State, but are more 

 abundant in the warmer sections of the central and southern parts. 



Foods. — This species caused considerable alarm some years ago when 

 it was found working upon cantaloupes in Tulare County, but investi- 

 gation showed that only the injured or decayed melons were attacked. 

 No less anxiety was aroused this summer when maggots were found in 

 apparently sound oranges in Los Angeles County, but they also proved 

 to be of this harmless fly. According to Prof. J. M. Aldrich the mag- 

 gots are also known to attack onions, osage orange, cotton bolls, sumach 

 fruits, berries of Solanum carolinense and apple. 



