372 LIFE STORIES OF AUSTRALIAN INSECTS. i 



Smithii). The eggs hatch in a few days. The 

 maggot stage appears to occupy tAvo ox. three weeks. 

 The pupal stage m summer occupies 14 to 20 days. 

 The adult may live several weeks. Thus from the 

 laying of the egg to the adult stage occupies about 

 five or six weeks in summer, and, the flies living 

 a week or two as adults, the total life may be two 

 months or more. There may therefore be several 

 generations in the summer. Cold, as was found in 

 the case of the Mediterranean fly, retards de- 

 velopment." 



There is yet another fruit fly to consider — ^the 

 Island fruit fly (Try p eta musae). The life history 

 is similar to that of the types described before, 

 but the development is slower. Mr. Gurney says, 

 as regards damage caused by maggots: *' Although 

 occasionally marketable fruits are affected, they 

 chiefly infest already damaged or unmarketable 

 fruit: and it is to be noted this fly is not to be 

 dreaded like the Mediterranean and Queensland flies, 

 which habitually puncture and deposit their eggs 

 in sound fruit." 



