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Euaresta aequalis (Loew)

Adult female, photo by T. W. Davies, ã California Academy of Sciences; and wing.

Recognition
Click here for full description and more images
Euaresta aequalis differs from other species of Euaresta except E. festiva in having the ground color of the thorax yellow rather than dark brown to black. It differs from E. festiva by having the distal hyaline spot in cell r₄₊₅ rounded and narrowly isolated from the wing margin by the union of the two dark apical rays surrounding it, and by its broader gena (its height more than two times width of first flagellomere).

Classification and Evolutionary Relationships
Order: Diptera. Family: Tephritidae. Subfamily: Tephritinae. Genus: Euaresta. Species: aequalis. Author: Loew.
Relationships among the species of Euaresta were analyzed by Norrbom (1993). Click here for more detailed discussion of Euaresta phylogeny. Euaresta aequalis has been placed in the bullans species group.

Names Used for this Species
Trypeta aequalis Loew 1862: 86.
Tephritis gemella Coquillett 1902: 181. Synonymy (Quisenberry 1950: 17).
Camaromyia aequalis: Hendel 1914c: 63.
Ensina aequalis: Snow 1903: 219.
Euaresta aequalis: Loew 1873: 309, 330.
Euaresta (Setigeresta) aequalis: Benjamin 1934: 50.
Tephritis aequalis: Coquillett 1899: 264.
Trypeta (Euaresta) aequalis: Osten Sacken 1878: 194.
Trypeta gemella: Woodworth 1913: 137.
Tephritis arcualis Foote 1964: 325. Nomen nudum. Attributed to Walker.
Trypeta signalis Howard 1901: 177. Nomen nudum.
Click here to link to fly names database

Type Data
aequalis: Syntypes - (MCZ), USA. Illinois.
gemella: Holotype - Female (USNM), USA. New Mexico: Las Vegas Hot Springs.

Distribution
Euaresta aequalis is known from Canada, USA, and Mexico (British Columbia, Manitoba & Ontario, south to Baja California Norte, Texas & Florida). It was introduced to Australia.
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Biology
Euaresta aequalis breeds in female flowers and developing seeds of Xanthium strumarium L. (= X. pungens), including var. canadense and glabratum (= X. chinense) (Wasbauer 1972).

Economic Significance
Euaresta aequalis is a beneficial species. It reduces seed production of its host, Xanthium strumarium, an agriculturally important weed commonly known in North America as common cocklebur. In a small sample of plants from Ohio, E. aequalis was reported to destroy 8-55% of the seeds examined (Foote 1984). Euaresta aequalis was intoduced to Australia as a biological control agent against X. strumarium, where it is commonly known as Noogoora burr and where it greatly reduces the value of wool due to its burrs becoming caught in the fleece (Currie 1940). Euaresta aequalis became established but has not effectively controlled the weed.  It was released but did not become established in Fiji (White & Elson-Harris 1992).

References
Click here to access fruit fly literature database
Adams 1915. [p. 49, 189, Ill.]
Aldrich, J. M. 1905. A catalog of North American Diptera (or two-winged flies). Smithson. Misc. Collect. 46 (2): 680 p. [p. 612, in catalog]
Baker, C. F. 1904. Diptera. Reports on Californian and Nevadan Diptera, I. Invertebr. Pac. 1: 17-40. [p. 30, California]
Benjamin, F. H. 1934. Descriptions of some native trypetid flies with notes on their habits. U. S. Dep. Agric. Tech. Bull. 401: 95 p. [p. 50, type species designation]
Brimley 1938. [p. 384, N. Car.]
Cleveland and Hamilton 1958. [p. 213, Ind.]
Cole, F. R. 1912. Some Diptera of Laguna Beach. Annu. Rep. Laguna Marine Lab. 1: 150-162. [p. 158, Calif.]
Cole, F. R. 1927. [p. 444, male genitalia]
Cole, F. R. & A. L. Lovett. 1921. An annotated list of the Diptera of Oregon. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. (4) 11: 197-344. [p. 326, Oregon]
Coquillett, D. W. 1899. Notes and descriptions of Trypetidae. J. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 7: 259-268. [p. 264, taxonomy]
Coquillett, D. W. 1902. New acalyptrate Diptera from North America. J. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 10: 177-191. [p. 181, description of Tephritis gemella]
Currie, G. A. 1932. Oviposition stimuli of the burr-seed fly, Euaresta aequalis, Loew (Dipt. Trypetidae). Bull. Entomol. Res. 23: 191-193. [p. 191, oviposition]
Currie, G. A. 1940. Some Australian weed problems, pp. 113-130. In R.O. Whyte, ed., The control of weeds. Imperial Bureau of Pastures and Forage Crops, Aberystwith, Bulletin 27, 168 pp. [p. 124, Australia]
Doane, R. W. 1899. Notes on Trypetidae with descriptions of new species. J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 7: 177-193. [p. 191, taxonomy, distribution]
Essig, E. O. 1938.  [p. 605, taxonomy]
Essig, E. O. 1958. Insects and mites of western North America. 2nd ed. Macmillan Co., New York. 1050 p. [p. 605, taxonomy]
Foote, B. A. 1966. Biology and immature stages of eastern ragweed flies (Tephritidae). Proc. North Cent. Br. Entomol. Soc. Am. (1965) 20: 105-106. [p. 106, host]
Foote, B. A. 1984. Host plant records for North American ragweed flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). Entomological News 95: 51-54. [p. 53, host]
Foote, R. H. 1965. Family Tephritidae, p. 658-678. In A. Stone, C. W. Sabrosky, W. W. Wirth, R. H. Foote & J. R. Coulson, eds., A catalog of the Diptera of America north of Mexico. U.S. Dep. Agric. Agric. Handb. 276: 1696 p. [p. 665, in catalog]
Foote, R. H. & F. L. Blanc. 1963. The fruit flies or Tephritidae of California. Bull. Calif. Insect Surv. 7: 117 p. [p. 18, review, California]
Foote, R. H., F. L. Blanc & A. L. Norrbom. 1993. Handbook of the fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) of America north of Mexico. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca. 571 p. [p. 145, review, Canada & USA]
Hendel, F. 1914. Die Bohrfliegen Südamerikas. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlich Zoologischen und Anthropologisch-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden (1912) 14:1-84. [p. 63, taxonomy]
Hendrickson 1930. [p. 143, Iowa]
Hennig, W. 1952. Familie Trypetidae, p. 201-220. In Die Larvenformen der Dipteren. 3 Teil. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin. 628 p. [p. 211, in catalog immature stages]
Hilgendorf and Goeden 1982. [p. 152, host]
Hilgendorf, J. H. & R. D. Goeden. 1983. Phytophagous insect faunas of spiny clotbur, Xanthium spinosum, and cocklebur, Xanthium strumarium, in southern California. Environ. Entomol. 12: 404-411. [p. 404, host]
Howard, L. O. 1901. The insect book. Doubleday, Page, New York. 428 p. [fig. 101, illustration]
Janes and Thomas 1932. [p. 103, Utah]
Johannsen, O. A. 1928. Order Diptera, p. 687-869. In M. D. Leonard, A list of the insects of New York with a list of the spiders and certain other allied groups. N.Y. Agric. Exp. Stn. Ithaca Mem. (1926) 101. [p. 853, N.Y.]
Johnson, C. W. 1900. Order Diptera, p. 617-699. In J. B. Smith, The insects of New Jersey. A list of the species occurring in New Jersey, with notes on those of economic importance. Annu. Rep. State Board Agric. N. J. (27th) 1899 (Suppl.): 755 p. [p. 688, New Jersey]
Johnson, C. W. 1925. Fauna of New England. 15. List of the Diptera or two-winged flies. Occas. Pap. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 7(15): 1-326.  [p. 264, N. Engl.]
Knowlton, G. F. & F. C. Harmston. 1937. Utah Diptera. Proc. Utah Acad. Sci. Arts Lett. 14: 141-149. [p. 145, Utah]
Lipp and Schulz 1970. [p. 27, damage]
Loew, H. 1862. Monographs of the Diptera of North America. Part I. Smithson. Misc. Collect. 6 (1 [= publ. 141]): xxiv + 221 p. [p. 86, description]
Loew, H. 1873. Monographs of the Diptera of North America. Part III. Smithsonian Misc. Coll. 11 (Publ. 256): 1-351. [p. 309, 330, taxonomy]
Marlatt, C. L. 1890. [p. 168, biology]
Marlatt, C. L. 1891a. The Xanthium Trypeta, Trypeta aequalis Lw. Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. (1890) 2: 40-43. [p. 40, biology]
Marlatt, C. L. 1891b. [p. 80, biology]
Marlatt, C. L. 1891c. The Xanthium Trypeta (Trypeta aequalis Lw.). Insect Life 3: 312-313. [p. 312, biology]
Norrbom, A. L. 1993. New species and phylogenetic analysis of Euaresta Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae) with a key to the species from the Americas south of Mexico. Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 95: 195-209. [phylogenetic relationships]
Norrbom, A. L., L. E. Carroll, F. C. Thompson, I. M. White & A. Freidberg. 1999. Systematic database of names, pp. 65-251. In F. C. Thompson (ed.), Fruit Fly Expert Identification System and Systematic Information Database. Myia (1998) 9, vii + 524 pp. & Diptera Data Dissemination Disk (CD-ROM) (1998) 1. [p. 145, in catalog]
Osten Sacken, C. R. 1877. Western Diptera: Descriptions of new genera and species of Diptera from the region west of the Mississippi and especially from California. Bull. U.S. Geol. Geogr. Surv. Terr. 3: 189-354. [p. 345, Colorado, taxonomy]
Osten Sacken, C. R. 1878. Catalogue of the described Diptera of North America. [Ed. 2]. Smithson. Misc. Collect. 16(2): xlvi + [2] + 276 p. [p. 194, in catalog]
Petch and Maltaise 1932. [p. 57, Que.]
Peterson 1916. [p. 240 et seq., figures of head]
Phillips, V. T. 1923. A revision of the Trypetidae of northeastern America. J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 31: 119-155. [p. 147, review]
Phillips, V. T. 1946. The biology and identification of trypetid larvae (Diptera: Trypetidae). Mem. Am. Entomol. Soc. 12: [ii] + 161 + xvi p. [p. 43, 114, description of larva, biology, host]
Quisenberry, B. F. 1950. The genus Euaresta in the United States (Diptera: Tephritidae. J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 58: 9-38. [p. 17, revision]
Rau, P. 1922. Ecological and behavior notes on Missouri insects. Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 24(7): 1-71. [p. 62, biology]
Snow, F. H. 1903. A preliminary list of the Diptera of Kansas. Kans. Univ. Sci. Bull. 2: 211-223. [p. 219, Kansas]
Snow, W. A. 1894. Descriptions of North American Trypetidae, with notes. Paper I. Kans. Univ. Q. 2: 159-174. [p. 171, taxonomy]
Strickland, E. H. 1938. An annotated list of the Diptera (flies) of Alberta. Can. J. Res. Sect. D 16: 175-219. [p. 204, Alberta]
Wasbauer, M. S. 1972. An annotated host catalog of the fruit flies of America north of Mexico (Diptera: Tephritidae). Occas. Pap. Calif. Dep. Agric. Bur. Entomol. 19: [i] + 172 p. [p. 113, host list]
Washburn, F. L. 1905. The Diptera of Minnesota. Minn. Agric. Exp. Stn. Bull. 93: 19-168. [p. 118, Minnesota]
White, I. M. & M. M. Elson-Harris. 1992. Fruit flies of economic significance: Their identification and bionomics. C A B International, Wallingford. xii + 601 p. [p. 418, distribution, use as biological control agent]
Woodworth, C. W. 1913. Guide to California insects. The Law Press, Berkeley. 360 p. [p. 137, California]

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