What are fruit flies ?
The Fruit Fly Research Laboratory works on true fruit flies, which are part of a family called Tephritidae (most other members of the family cause galls, usually in flower heads). The more common of the tephritid fruit flies are larger than the "vinegar" fly (sometimes called "fruit fly" in America) which are Drosophila species and live on decaying fruit.
The species of fruit fly that is widely referred to as "Queensland fruit fly" or "Q-fly" is Bactrocera tryoni. This species is present in the Torres Strait islands and along the entire east coast of Australia. Occasionally, isolated outbreaks occur in Adelaide (South Australia), and more inland localities of New South Wales and Victoria. It has also got a foothold in some Northern Territory, including Alice Springs.
Bactrocera neohumeralis is a sister (sibling) species of fruit fly (very closely related to B. tryoni). B. neohumeralis also oviposits in a large number of commercial fruits. It occurs both in Papua New Guinea and the Torres Strait islands but its normal geographic range in mainland Australia is more limited, occupying a narrower coastal strip of Queensland and extending only as far south as Coffs Harbour in NSW. Thus B. neohumeralis is also a 'Queensland fruit fly'. This is reflected in a number of early papers, where both species are referred to as Queensland fruit flies and it is now sometimes referred to as 'the lesser Queensland fruit fly'.
Note B. tryoni has yellow humeral calli ('shoulder pads'). B. neohumeralis has brown calli, a darker background colour and usually redder eyes. The B. neohumeralis pictured has worn (emarginated) wings - typical of older flies (Both photos by Nathan Pike)
Our genetic studies have shown that hybridization between the two is rare in the field but can be achieved in the laboratory by confining males of one species with females of the other.
The Fruit Fly Research laboratory also carries out work on other species of fruit flies. These include Bactrocera papayae (the Asian Papaya fruit fly or PFF), B. cacuminata (wild tobacco fly) other Bactrocera species and Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly, or Medfly).
Identification key
Fruit flies of NSW - a key to tephritid fruit flies
