The genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Delia is part of the fly

Fly

True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...

 family Anthomyiidae

Anthomyiidae

Anthomyiidae is a large and diverse family of Muscoidea flies. Name came from Greek "anthos" + "myia" . Some species are commonly called "root-maggots", as the larvae are found in the stems and roots of various plants...

.

The genus Delia contains approximately 300–340 species worldwide (excluding Neotropical species). At present about 170 species are recorded from the Palaearctic Region, and 162 species from the Nearctic

Nearctic

The Nearctic is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones dividing the Earth's land surface.The Nearctic ecozone covers most of North America, including Greenland and the highlands of Mexico...

 Region, 44 of which are Holarctic

Holarctic

The Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic,...

. Afrotropical fauna includes 20 Delia species. Griffiths described 49 new species in his recent revision of the Nearctic species, nearly a third of the present Nearctic total, and similar intensive revisions in other parts of the world are expected to produce many more, especially in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

, mountainous regions of Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...

, Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

, and Mongolia

Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

.

Biology

Several important agricultural pests are Delia species, including D. radicum, the cabbage maggot, D. floralis

Delia floralis

Delia floralis, commonly known as the turnip root fly or summer cabbage fly, is a cosmopolitan pest of crops. The larvae or maggots feed on the roots of various plants in the Brassicaceae family.-Morphology and biology:...

, the turnip maggot, and D. antigua, the onion maggot. The larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e of these flies, which tunnel into roots and stems of host plants, can cause considerable agricultural yield losses. Although most members of this genus have larvae that feed on stems, flowers and fruits of plants, a few others have larvae that are leaf miner

Leaf miner

Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...

s. The larvae of Afrotropical Delia species are mainly phytophagous, and have been found in various cereal crops and grasses, including Cynodon

Cynodon

Cynodon is a genus of nine species of grasses, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Old World. The genus as a whole as well as its species are commonly known as Bermuda Grass or Dog's Tooth Grass.-Species:...

, Secale

Secale

Secale is a genus of grasses in the Triticeae tribe. The most known member is rye .Other species include:*Secale montanum Guss.*Secale sylvestre Host....

, Hordeum

Hordeum

Hordeum is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial grasses, native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, temperate South America, and also South Africa....

, Setaria

Setaria

Setaria is a genus of grasses in the Poaceae family.-Selected species:* Setaria cernua Kunth* Setaria dielsii R.A.W.Herrm.* Setaria faberi R.A.W.Herrm.* Setaria incrassata Hack. – Vlei Bristle Grass...

, Pennisetum

Pennisetum

Pennisetum is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. They are large annual or perennial grasses growing 1–4 m tall, and are collectively known as the pennisetums...

, Chloris

Chloris

thumb|250px|right| "As she talks, her lips breathe spring roses:I was Chloris, who am now called Flora." [[Ovid]]There are many stories in Greek mythology about figures named Chloris...

, Sorghum

Sorghum

Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...

, and Eleusine

Eleusine

Eleusine is a genus of grasses sometimes called by the common name goosegrass. There are about nine species, eight of which are native to Africa, with the ninth, E. tristachya, native to South America. Particularly well known is Eleusine indica, a widespread weed...

species.

The cabbage maggot has been successfully reared in colonies for research purposes.

Species

• Delia abruptiseta (Ringdahl, 1935)
• Delia abstracta (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia aemene (Walker, 1849)
• Delia alaba (Walker, 1849)
• Delia alaskana (Huckett, 1966)
• Delia albula (Fallén, 1825)
• Delia alternata (Huckett, 1951)
• Delia angusta (Stein, 1898)
• Delia angustaeformis (Ringdahl, 1933)
• Delia angustifrons (Meigen, 1826)
• Delia angustiventralis (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia aniseta (Stein, 1920)
• Delia antiqua
  Delia antiqua
  Delia antiqua, commonly known as the onion fly, is a cosmopolitan pest of crops. The larvae or maggots feed on onions, garlic and other bulbous plants.-Morphology and biology:...
  
  (Meigen, 1826)
• Delia aquitima (Huckett, 1929)
• Delia armata (Stein, 1920)
• Delia attenuata (Malloch, 1920)
• Delia bisetosa (Stein, 1907)
• Delia bracata (Rondani, 1866)
• Delia brunnescens (Zetterstedt, 1845)
• Delia bucculenta (Coquillett, 1904)
• Delia cameroonica (Ackland, 2008)
• Delia cardui (Meigen, 1826)
• Delia carduiformis (Schnabl in Schnabl & Dziedzicki, 1911)
• Delia cerealis (Gillette, 1904)
• Delia cilifera (Malloch, 1918)
• Delia coarctata (Fallén, 1825)
• Delia concorda (Huckett, 1966)
• Delia coronariae (Hendel, 1925)
• Delia cregyoglossa (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia criniventris (Zetterstedt, 1860)
• Delia cuneata Tiensuu, 1946
• Delia cupricrus (Walker, 1849)
• Delia curvipes (Malloch, 1918)
• Delia deviata (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia diluta (Stein, 1916)
• Delia dissimilipes (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia dovreensis Ringdahl, 1954
• Delia echinata (Séguy, 1923)
• Delia egleformis (Huckett, 1929)
• Delia endorsina (Ackland, 2008)
• Delia exigua (Meade, 1883)
• Delia extensa (Huckett, 1951)
• Delia extenuata (Huckett, 1952)
• Delia fabricii (Holmgren, 1872)
• Delia fasciventris (Ringdahl, 1933)
• Delia flavogrisea (Ringdahl, 1926)
• Delia floralis
  Delia floralis
  Delia floralis, commonly known as the turnip root fly or summer cabbage fly, is a cosmopolitan pest of crops. The larvae or maggots feed on the roots of various plants in the Brassicaceae family.-Morphology and biology:...
  
  (Fallén, 1824)
• Delia florilega (Zetterstedt, 1845)
• Delia fracta (Malloch, 1918)
• Delia frontella (Zetterstedt, [1838])
• Delia frontulenta (Huckett, 1929)
• Delia fulvescens (Huckett, 1966)
• Delia garretti (Huckett, 1929)
• Delia glabritheca (Huckett, 1966)
• Delia gracilipes (Malloch, 1920)
• Delia hirtitibia (Stein, 1916)
• Delia inaequalis (Malloch, 1920)
• Delia inconspicua (Huckett, 1924)
• Delia ineptifrons (Huckett, 1951)
• Delia integralis (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia interflua (Pandellé, 1900)
• Delia intimata (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia ismayi (Ackland, 2008)
• Delia kullensis (Ringdahl, 1933)
• Delia lamellicauda (Huckett, 1952)
• Delia lamelliseta (Stein, 1900)
• Delia lasiosternum (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia lavata (Boheman, 1863)
• Delia leptinostylos (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia lineariventris (Zetterstedt, 1845)
• Delia liturata (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830)
• Delia longicauda (Strobl, 1898)
• Delia lupini (Coquillett, 1901)
• Delia madagascariensis (Ackland, 2008)
• Delia megacephala (Huckett, 1966)
• Delia megatricha (Kertesz, 1901)
• Delia montana (Malloch, 1919)
• Delia monticola (Huckett, 1966)
• Delia montivagans (Huckett, 1952)
• Delia mutans (Huckett, 1929)
• Delia nemoralis (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia neomexicana (Malloch, 1918)
• Delia nigrescens (Róndani, 1877)
• Delia nigricaudata (Huckett, 1929)
• Delia normalis (Malloch, 1919)
• Delia nubilalis (Huckett, 1966)
• Delia nuda (Strobl, 1901)
• Delia opacitas (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia pallipennis (Zetterstedt, 1838)
• Delia pectinator Suwa, 1984
• Delia penicillaris (Róndani, 1866)
• Delia penicillosa Hennig, 1974
• Delia pilifemur (Ringdahl, 1933)
• Delia pilimana (Stein, 1920)
• Delia pilitarsis (Stein, 1920)
• Delia piliventris (Pokorny, 1889)
• Delia planipalpis (Stein, 1898)
• Delia platura (Meigen, 1826)
• Delia pluvialis (Malloch, 1918)
• Delia propinquina (Huckett, 1929)
• Delia prostriata (Huckett, 1965)
• Delia pruinosa (Zetterstedt, 1845)
• Delia pseudoventralis (Ackland, 2008)
• Delia quadripila (Stein, 1916)
• Delia radicum (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Delia rainieri (Huckett, 1951)
• Delia recurva (Malloch, 1919)
• Delia reliquens (Huckett, 1951)
• Delia repleta (Huckett, 1929)
• Delia rondanii (Ringdahl, 1918)
• Delia sanctijacobi (Bigot, 1885)
• Delia segmentata (Wulp, 1896)
• Delia sequoiae (Huckett, 1967)
• Delia seriata (Stein, 1920)
• Delia setifirma (Huckett, 1951)
• Delia setigera (Stein, 1920)
• Delia setiseriata (Huckett, 1952)
• Delia setitarsata (Huckett, 1924)
• Delia setiventris (Stein, 1898)
• Delia simpla (Coquillett, 1900)
• Delia simulata (Huckett, 1952)
• Delia sobrians (Huckett, 1951)
• Delia suburbana (Huckett, 1966)
• Delia tarsata (Ringdahl, 1918)
• Delia tarsifimbria (Pandellé, 1900)
• Delia tenuiventris (Zetterstedt, 1860)
• Delia tibila (Ackland, 2008)
• Delia tumidula Ringdahl, 1949
• Delia uniseriata (Stein, 1914)
• Delia vesicata (Huckett, 1952)
• Delia winnemana (Malloch, 1919)
• Delia xanthobasis (Huckett, 1965)