Mediterranean fruit fly


noun
  1. 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

1
First recorded in 1905–10

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
  1. 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

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