Root-Maggot Flies (Anthomyiidae) - 75 Species, Identification & Facts

Acridomyia canadensis

Identification: Muscoid fly without palps or vibrissae; thoracic bristles short.

Anthomyia obscuripennis

Identification: Male with wing strongly narrowed at base and darkened at apex. Male with broad frons, as in female. Related to the European Anthomyia monilis .

Anthomyia ochripes

Identification: In California, the only Anthomyia with a pair of spots on crossvein dm-cu. Related species in California have a continuous dark band along the vein. A. confusa has a similar pair of spots, more dark markings near the base of the wing

Anthomyia pluvialis

This genus is the Dalmatian of the fly world, with a striking chequered appearance. The background is usually grey but can be brown with distinct black spots. Anthomyia pluvialis is very similar to A. imbrida and A. procellaris . Male pluvialis can b

Anthomyia procellaris

This small handsome fly has a thorax neatly marked with black spots on a grey background. There are other similar species and certain identification requires detailed examination, if we cannot be certain that an image is Anthomyia procellaris but it

Botanophila fugax

This anthomyiidae fly has a grey striped thorax and black legs. It has characteristically long hairs arising from the thorax. This species has a red ID rating and unless identified by a known expert you must provide a satisfactory explanation of how

Botanophila latifrontalis

Identification: Proepisternum bare, palpi not expanded, face not narrowed, anepimeron bare, male frons width similar to female, 3 pairs of presutural acrostichal setae developed, tergites 3-5 with discal rows of setae, tibiae yellowish, hypopygium sl

Chirosia betuleti

Chirosia betuleti is a small grey fly resembling a small house fly. Its larvae cause galls to form on ferns, and in particular on Male-fern, Lady-fern and Buckler-ferns. Eggs are laid in the tip of the fronds, and the resulting larvae tunnel into the

Chirosia grossicauda

The larva of the fly Chirosia grossicauda causes galls to form on Bracken fronds. The tip of the pinnule (involving a few pinnules) rolls downwards and may discolour, inside a white maggot mines along the main vein. Widespread and fairly frequent in

Delia platura

This small greyish fly is the most commonly recorded of the Anthomyiidae and generally abundant everywhere. It is around 8mm with a dark median line at the front of the scutum (top of the thorax). As with many flies it is under-recorded as it can onl

Delia pluvialis

Identification: Male with lower corner of third tergite greatly enlarged (visibly so in lateral view), fifth sternite with very long hairs.

Delia radicum

The adult flies are approximately 6.5 mm long and are grey-brown in colour with a darker stripe along the back of the abdomen. This species has a red ID rating and unless identified by a known expert you must provide a satisfactory explanation of how

Egle ciliata

Identification: One of two species with four postsutural dorsocentral bristles.

Eustalomyia vittipes

Identification: The only species of Eustalomyia with partly yellow legs. Photos on diptera.info: 1 , 2 . "This fly has twice been reared from material collected from the interior of rotten logs in the winter season at Harrisburg, Pa. The insect was

Eutrichota affinis

Identification: In the Northeast, distinguished from related species by the scutellum with yellow tip continuing as a yellow stripe underneath , neither entirely black nor entirely yellow below. Scutellum dorsally may be yellow at the tip, abdomen fi

Eutrichota cylindrica

The most common of a group of six Nearctic species with "extreme proliferation of fine thoracic setulae" (Griffiths, 1984) and swollen female fore tarsi.

Eutrichota geomyis

The long spines on the wing are probably an adaptation to help maneuver in dark pocket gopher burrows.

Eutrichota lipsia

Identification: Antennal articles 1-2 opaque yellow, thorax finely dusted and shining, mid femora without distal anteroventral setae.

Eutrichota nigrifemur

Identification: Antennal scape and pedicel infuscated, thorax densely gray-dusted, notopleura not clothed with setulae except for the large 2 setae, prealar long, mid femora without a distal av, fore tibia with or without an apical pd, wings with var

Fucellia tergina

Identification: Separated from F. maritima by the narrower genae (allegedly 0.5-0.65 times eye height compared to 0.6-0.7 times) and the absence of setulae between the presutural two rows and pairs of acrostichal setae. In males, the ventral femoral

Fucellia thinobia

Identification: Presutural acrostichals with setulae in between, prealar absent. Scutellum dorsally largely setulose. Wings subinfuscated.

Hydrophoria lancifer

It is a member of the Anthomyiidae family, which are closely related to the Muscidae but the 6th long vein reaches to the wing margin. It is a hairy beige-brown fly, varying in length from 4 to 11 mm. This species has a red ID rating and unless ident

Hydrophoria linogrisea

Similar to the more common Hydrophoria lancifer , but its legs are reddish yellow. This species has a red ID rating and unless identified by a known expert you must provide a satisfactory explanation of how it was identified for the record to be acce

Hylemya alcathoe

Identification: " H. alcathoe is notable in the genus due to its long pectinate aristal hairs, yellow palpi, normally yellow legs and partly reddish abdomen. The female abdomen may occasionally be wholly gray." In addition, the female may have humeri

Hylemya vagans

9mm - large for an anthomyiid. H. vagans has a yellow hind tibia (other leg parts may also be yellow but this is variable) and a very plumose arista, though with the hairs not very numerous. The lower squamae is small and narrow - largely hidden behi

Hylemya variata

As with other flies in the Anthomyiidae family, this genus are thin bodied. Most are grey/brown and lack obvious identification features. Hylemya species have long plumose arista, with the rays not very numerous (similar to Hydrophoria), but with sma

Hylemyza partita

Hylemyza partita has a brown thorax with dark lateral stripes. It has plumose arista with hairs longer than the width of the antennae diameter. This species has a red ID rating and unless identified by a known expert you must carry out detailed exami

Leucophora apivora

Identification: Distinguished from other common species of Leucophora by the combination of legs red (including femora), both female and male with widely separated eyes, and flight time in June.

Leucophora johnsoni

Identification: In the eastern United States, the combination of legs partly yellow, a ventral bristle on mid tibia, and female eyes slightly closer together than normal but still separated by about 2/3 their width) will identify this species.

Leucophora marylandica

Kleptoparasites of Colletes . Related to the Palaearctic species Leucophora grisella ( http://www.diptera.info/photogallery.php?photo_id=1957 )

Leucophora obtusa

One of several almost identical species so great care is needed with identification. If detailed examination has not taken place it should be recorded as Leucophora sp. The genus has a characteristically wide parafacial and gena (the area in front of

Pegomya betae

pest of beet Considered invasive in this country. (Capinera, John L. North American Vegetable Pests. The Pattern of Invasion. American Entomologist. Spring 2002)

Pegomya bicolor

Length 6 to 8 mm. Both male and female have an orange abdomen and a grey or blackish thorax. The legs are mainly orange. Detailed examination is required to identify to species level. Hedgerows and flower meadows where adults take nectar and pollen.

Pegomya flavifrons

The larvae of the fly Pegomya flavifrons mine the leaves of various plants such as Chickweeds, Stichworts, Campions and Mouse-ears. The mine takes the form of a gallery then a blotch, larger and deeper than the mine of Amauromyza flavifrons. In large

Pegomya geniculata

Griffiths (1984) says "often the most numerous Pegomya in caught samples in Canada."

Pegomya hyoscyami

A grey bodied fly about 6 millimetres long. Adult: Unless identified by a recognised expert, a photo is required and the specimen should be examined with a microscope. In the comments box, state the key or ID method used and describe the size and ide