Queensland Fruit Fly vs Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Queensland Fruit Fly Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly
Scientific Name Bactrocera tryoni Xanthogramma pedissequum
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Tephritidae Syrphidae
Size 6-8 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Orchards Heathland
Diet Fruit Feeders Root Feeders
Regions Australia, Pacific Islands Europe
Conservation Least Concern Near Threatened

Queensland Fruit Fly

Australia's most economically damaging fruit fly with a reddish-brown body. It attacks a wide range of cultivated fruits and vegetables.

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Did You Know?

Interstate quarantine zones in Australia exist largely to prevent its spread to fruit-growing regions.

Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly

A striking yellow-and-black hoverfly that mimics a wasp. Larvae develop inside ant nests where they feed on root aphids tended by the ants. A declining species in parts of its range.

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Did You Know?

Larvae live inside ant nests and feed on the root aphids that ants keep as 'livestock'.