About Dirioxa pornia (Walker, 1849)
Adults of Dirioxa pornia measure between 5.5 and 8.5 millimeters in length. Their antennal arista has a plumose texture on the dorsal surface, and is bare on the ventral surface. The scutum of the thorax is mostly red-brown, and bears 6 scutellar setae; the scutellum is flat, and has no microsetae. The abdomen has a black tip; the tibia of the mid leg has one strong apical spine; and a distinctive dark pattern is present on the wing. The abdominal tergites are fulvous, which is a reddish-yellow or tawny color, and the third to fifth tergites each have a transverse black pattern. For adult males of the species, the surstylus is short and thick; for adult females, the aculeus is rounded and blunt at its apex. This species occurs naturally in eastern Australia, across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and has been introduced to Western Australia. Dirioxa pornia attacks ripe, damaged and fallen fruit from plants belonging to many different families. It cannot attack healthy fruit, which may be because its larvae are not able to penetrate fruit rinds. In orchards, the population density of D. pornia correlates with the density of fallen and discarded fruit on the orchard floor.
