About Tephritis formosa (Loew, 1844)
Scientific name: Tephritis formosa (Loew, 1844).
Description: Adult male Tephritis formosa measure 4 to 5 mm in body length, with wings approximately 4 mm long. Adult females have a body length of about 5 to 6 mm, with wings between 4 and 5 mm long. The thorax and abdomen of this species are brownish. Individuals have yellow-reddish eyes on the head. The female abdomen terminates in a tapered ovipositor, while the male abdomen is rather rounded. Legs are yellowish. These small flies have light beige wings marked with large dark brown patches and small clear (hyaline) areas. The apical fork is absent, and only small brown spots are present at the ends of veins R4+5 and M.
Distribution: This species occurs in most European countries, including Albania, Andorra, Austria, the Balearic Islands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Ukraine. It is also found in the Near East, in Turkey, the Caucasus, Israel, and Iran.
Habitat: Tephritis formosa can live in a wide variety of habitats, but it mainly prefers meadows, grassland, and urban gardens where its host plants grow.
