Names and Taxonomy
- Common Names:
- Synonyms: Dejeania vexatrix Osten Sacken, 1877
- Order: Diptera (Flies)
- Family: Tachinidae (Tachinid Flies)
- Genus Information: nk species in NV, nk in CA, 2 in US
Adejeania vexatrix
Tachinid Fly
Introduction:
It is a large, hairy fly with a distinctly orange abdomen and prominent, heavy black setae (bristles). It also has greatly elongated palpi that stick straight forward from under its head.
Life Cycle: Adejeania vexatrix is an endoparasitoid, meaning its larvae develop inside a host insect. The newly hatched maggots then eat and kill the caterpillar, controlling pest populations. Common hosts include caterpillars of butterflies and moths, larval and adult beetles, and grasshoppers and crickets.
Size 0.39 to 0.78 inch (10-20 mm)
Sexual Dimorphism:
Metamorphosis: complete (egg, larva, pupa, adult)
