''Euleia heraclei'', known as the

celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'' Dulce Group or ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''dulce'') is a cultivated plant belonging to the species ''Apium graveolens'' in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times. The original wild ...

fly or the hogweed picture-wing fly is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus '' Euleia'' of the family

Tephritidae The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus '' Drosophila'' (in the family Drosophilidae ...

Distribution

This species is widespread in most of

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, (

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, the

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, central

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, and

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) and in the eastern

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, in

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, and

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), and

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. It is also present in

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) and in the

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). In Britain, the species is distributed widely across southern and central England; in Wales records are mainly near the coast.

Habitat

These small flies mainly inhabit vegetable gardens and open countrysides where the host plants grow.

Description

Mating Group Picture-wing Flies Euleia heraclei

''Euleia heraclei'' can reach a body length of . The species is dimorphic, as the color of the body is variable depending on the season. In fact the thorax and the abdomen may be shiny orange-brown or blackish.(Detailed description of fly, no ecology) They are almost black for the winter flies, while they are clear, orange-brown for the summer flies. The sides of the mesonotum have whitish longitudinal stripes. The postscutellum is black. The head has blue-green eyes. The face shows a raised longitudinal rib. These flies have rather wide wings heavily marked with brown bands. The legs are yellow-brown. Eggs are oval, white. Larvae are white, spindly shaped, up to 8 mm long.M.G. Krivosheina, N.A. Ozerov
To the biology of celery fly Euleia heraclei (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Tephritidae) — pest of alien Apiaceae species in Moscow Region
/ref>

Biology

''Euleia heraclei'' is a

bivoltine Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism. ...

species, with two generations per year. Adults can be found from April to November feeding on hogweed ('' Heracleum'' species) (hence the specific name). The males display on the upper surfaces of leaves on sunny days during April–May. Mating takes place when a female arrives. The females' winter fly lay the eggs in April and May into the leave of the host plants, a few eggs in one leaf. After 6–8 days, the eggs hatch and the larvae mine the leaves, initially in a short corridor and later, a yellow or brown blotch. After four weeks, adult larvae enter into the soil at a depth of 4–5 cm. The second generation develops in September–October and overwinters in the upper layers of soil, at a depth of about 10 cm. Larvae feed on the leaves of a wide variety of plants, especially of

Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

species ('' Heracleum sphondylium'', ''

Angelica sylvestris ''Angelica sylvestris'' or wild angelica is a species of flowering plant, native to Europe and central Asia. An annual or short-lived perennial growing to a maximum of , it has erect purplish stems and rounded umbels of minuscule white or pale ...

'', ''

Apium graveolens ''Apium graveolens'', known in English as wild celery,Streeter D, Hart-Davies C, Hardcastle A, Cole F, Harper L. 2009. ''Collins Flower Guide''. Harper Collins is an Old World species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It was first desc ...

'', '' Apium nodiflorum'', ''

Conium maculatum ''Conium maculatum'', commonly known as hemlock (British English) or poison hemlock (American English), is a highly poisonous flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, native to Europe and North Africa. It is Herbaceous plant, herbaceous, wi ...

'', '' Heracleum sphondylium'', '' Pastinaca sativa'', '' Smyrnium olusatrum'', '' Ammi'' species, '' Anthriscus cerefolium'', '' Berula erecta'', ''

Bupleurum ''Bupleurum'' is a large genus of annual or perennial herbs or woody shrubs, with about 190 species, belonging to the family Apiaceae. The full size of its species may vary between a few cm to up to 3 m high. Their compound umbels of s ...

'' species, '' Cicuta virosa'', '' Coriandrum sativum'', ''

Daucus carota ''Daucus carota'', whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World ...

'', '' Eryngium campestre'', '' Falcaria vulgaris'', ''

Heracleum mantegazzianum ''Heracleum mantegazzianum'', commonly known as giant hogweed, is a monocarpic perennial herbaceous plant in the carrot family Apiaceae. ''H. mantegazzianum'' is also known as cartwheel-flower, giant cow parsley, giant cow parsnip, or hogsb ...

'', ''

Levisticum officinale Lovage ( ; ''Levisticum officinale'') is a perennial plant, the sole species in the genus ''Levisticum'' in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Apioideae. It has been long cultivated in Europe and the leaves are used as a herb, the roots as a vegeta ...

'', '' Ligusticum scoticum'', etc.). They are considered a pest of celery (''

'') and parsnips ('' Pastinaca sativa''), where they damage the plant by

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

the leaves.

References

External links

* Mark Golle
The Complete Garden Wildlife Book
* Bloomsbur
Concise Garden Wildlife Guide
{{Taxonbar, from=Q141334 heraclei Agricultural pest insects Diptera of Africa Diptera of Asia Diptera of Europe Flies described in 1758 Leaf miners Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Articles containing video clips