Apple Maggot Fly vs Peach Slug Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Apple Maggot Fly Peach Slug Sawfly
Scientific Name Rhagoletis pomonella Caliroa annulipes
Order Diptera Hymenoptera
Family Tephritidae Tenthredinidae
Size 4-6 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Orchards Orchards
Diet Fruit Feeders Fruit Feeders
Regions Eastern North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Apple Maggot Fly

A fruit fly pest whose larvae tunnel through apple flesh causing brown trails. It is a textbook example of sympatric speciation by host plant shifting.

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Did You Know?

It shifted from native hawthorn to introduced apple trees in under 200 years, creating genetically distinct races.

Peach Slug Sawfly

A small, shiny black sawfly whose slug-like larvae feed on the upper leaf surface of various fruit trees, including peach, cherry, and hawthorn.

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Did You Know?

Unlike the closely related pear slug, this species feeds primarily from the upper leaf surface rather than the lower surface.