569 



FAMILY TRYPETIDJE. 



(True Fruit Flies.) (Plate 46.) 



To this family belong some very serious pests. 



Life History of the Common or Mediterranean 

 Fruit Fly. 



( Ceratitis capitata. ) 



This is a mottled fly which is a little smaller than 

 the house fly. The mother fruit fly lays her eggs in 

 such fruits as peaches, apricots, pears, apples, 

 oranges, etc., and the fruits become pulpy and soft 

 and are ruined. The little fly-maggots feed on the 

 fruit juices, and, when mature, make their way 

 out of the fruit to the ground, where they pupate 

 Mr. W. B. Gurney, in his work on ''Fruit Flies," 

 gives this account of the larva of this fly: — ''Tlic 

 maggot has the pointed head and l)lunt posterior end 

 so characteristic of many fly grubs. (Plate 46, Fig. 2.) 

 The narrow end bears a' pair of black, curved jaws 

 capable of being drawn into and protruded from the 

 head, and which are used for tearing the fruit tissue. 

 They frequently skip or jump, in the manner so 

 often noticed, when taken from the fruit. The 

 maggot doubles the body, hooks the jaws to certain 

 small lobes about the anus, sets up a strong mus- 

 cular strain, and suddenly releases the jaws from 

 their hold, the effect of which is to jerk the body 

 some six or eight inches away. These movements 



