Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Mexican Fruit Fly

Scientific Name

Anastrepha ludens (Loew, 1873) (ITIS)

Common Name

Mexican fruit fly, Mexfly

Synonym

Anastrepha lathana, Trypeta ludens (ITIS)

Native To

Mexico and Central America (Flitters and Messenger 1965)

Date of U.S. Introduction

First observed as a winter migrant in southern Texas in 1903, with infestations occurring beginning in 1927; it was first discovered outside of its usual range in 1954 (Flitters and Messenger 1965)

Means of Introduction

Migrates into southern Texas from Mexico; may be introduced to other areas through the movement of infested fruit (Aluja 1994; Thomas 2004)

Impact

Larvae attack at least 60 varieties of fruit, particularly citrus and mangoes (Thomas 2004)

Mexican fruit fly
Image use policy

Mexican Fruit Fly

Credit

In grapefruit as well as many other fruits, one female Mexican fruit fly can deposit large numbers of eggs: up to 40 eggs at a time, 100 or more a day, and about 2,000 over her life span - Jack Dykinga, USDA. Agricultural Research Serv

Source
Invasive.org

Find more images

Spotlights

  • USDA Protects Hundreds of Crops from Invasive Fruit Flies with Five-Year Strategy

    • Apr 17, 2024

    • USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

    • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has released Fruit Fly Exclusion and Detection Program Fiscal Years 2024-2028 Strategy [PDF, 1.2 MB]. APHIS worked with members of the National Plant Board to develop a unified roadmap for USDA and its partners to protect American agriculture from the threat of invasive fruit flies and measure our progress along the way.
      See also: Exotic Fruit Flies for more information

  • USDA and CDFA Declare California Free of Invasive Fruit Flies

    • Aug 27, 2024

    • USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

    • The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in collaboration with County Agricultural Commissioners, are proud to announce that after a year of hard work we have eradicated all populations of invasive fruit flies from California. This significant achievement is a testament to the hard work of our agencies and the critical support from the public. 

  • Mexican Fruit Fly Quarantine in Portion of San Diego County

    • Aug 24, 2022

    • California Department of Food and Agriculture.

    • A portion of San Diego County has been placed under quarantine for the Mexican fruit fly following the detection of six flies and one larva in and around the unincorporated area of Valley Center. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) are working collaboratively on this project.

      The Mexican fruit fly can lay its eggs in and infest more than 50 types of fruits and vegetables, severely impacting California agricultural exports and backyard gardens alike. For more information on the pest, please see the pest profile at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/go/MexFly. Residents who believe their fruits and vegetables may be infested with fruit fly larvae are encouraged to call the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Federally Regulated

Videos

All Resources

View and Filter All Mexican Fruit Fly Resources

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Partnership
Federal Government
State and Local Government
Academic

  • EDIS - Mexican Fruit Fly

    • University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.

    • Electronic Data Information Source Publication #ENY201

Professional
Citations