About the Spotted-Winged Drosophila
Drosophila suzukii, commonly called the spotted wing drosophila or SWD, is a fruit fly. D. suzukii, originally from southeast Asia, is becoming a major pest species in America and Europe because it infests fruit early during the ripening stage, in contrast with other Drosophila species that infest only rotting fruit.
Native to east Asia, D. suzukii was first described in 1931 by Shōnen Matsumura, it was observed in Japan as early as 1916 by T. Kanzawa. D. suzukii is a fruit crop pest and is a serious economic threat to soft summer fruit, i.e., cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, grapes, and others. Research investigating the specific threat D. suzukii poses to these fruit is ongoing.
Like other members of the Drosophilidae, D. suzukii is small, approximately 2 to 3.5 millimetres (5⁄64 to 9⁄64 in) in length and 5 to 6.5 millimetres (13⁄64 to 1⁄4 in) in wingspan and looks like its fruit and vinegar fly relatives. Its body is yellow to brown with darker bands on the abdomen and it has red eyes. The male has a distinct dark spot near the tip of each wing; females do not have the spotted wing. The foreleg of the male sports dark... Wikipedia →