Mediterranean fruit fly
noun
a small, black and white, irregularly banded two-winged fly, Ceratitis capitata, of many warm regions, that damages citrus and other succulent fruit crops by implanting eggs that hatch into maggots within the fruit.
Origin of Mediterranean fruit fly
1First recorded in 1905–10
- Also called medfly, Medfly.
Words Nearby Mediterranean fruit fly
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for Mediterranean fruit fly
Mediterranean fruit fly
noun
a species of dipterous fly, Ceratitis capitata, having marbled wings, whose maggots tunnel into fruits such as citrus, peach, and vine in the Mediterranean area, South Africa, and elsewhere: family Trypetidae: Also called: medfly
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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