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At best stiletto flies are mistaken for earth worms; at worst they can be mistaken for soil pests.
Stiletto fly larvae (Therevidae) – you have most likely encountered these wriggly, ‘worm-like’ critters rapidly moving when inspecting soil for pests or digging up plants to observe their roots. You may have even mistaken them for juvenile earthworms or pests such as wireworm larvae!
But did you know that stilletto fly larvae are generalist predators of soil-dwelling invertebrates? Therefore, it’s valuable to distinguish this family of flies from other common subterranean inhabitants.
Stiletto fly larvae can be recognised by their smooth white to pinkish, legless bodies, which taper at both ends. They have a small head capsule and their bodies appear divided into sixteen segments. Earthworms can be distinguished from stiletto fly larvae by the lack of a head capule and a highly segmented body (> 100 segments). The body segmentation of wireworm larvae is more reminicent of stiletto fly larvae, however the former can be distinguished by the presence of three pairs of legs and two spines at their tail-end.
Stilletto fly larvae (Left, source: Thomas Parker) and true wireworm larvae (Right, source: cesar).
Stiletto flies are a cosmopoliation family with over 1170 known species worldwide (click here to view images of the adults).
Field observations
Thomas Parker – AGnVET (Riverina, NSW)
What is PestFacts?
PestFacts south-eastern keeps growers and advisers informed about invertebrate pests and beneficials in broadacre crops and pastures during the winter-cropping season in Victoria and southern New South Wales.
PestFacts south-eastern is run through IPMforGrains: Best Practice Insect Pest Management, a project delivered by the National Pest Information Network (cesar, DPIRD, QDAF, NSW DPI, and SARDI). This project aims to provide grain growers and advisors with information on invertebrate grain pest occurrence and equip industry with the knowledge needed to implement integrated pest management practices. This initiative is a GRDC investment and includes in-kind contributions from all project partner organisations.
We need your reports
PestFacts is produced on an ʻas-needsʼ basis and relies upon pest observations and field reports from our subscribers. If you have recently observed invertebrate pests (or beneficial species) in broadacre crops, please contact us to report your observations.
Agricultural invertebrate identification
If you are a grower or agronomist in Victoria or NSW working with broadacre crops or pastures, we can assist you with identifying invertebrates found on farms at no cost. Please contact us for identification help.
PestFacts map
PestFacts map is an interactive tool that allows users to search and view historical pest reports across Victoria and NSW. The map is updated with each issue of PestFacts to include new reports.
How to acknowledge PestFacts?
With appropriate acknowledgement, cesar grants permission to reproduce information taken directly from PestFacts. To cite PestFacts: “PestFacts south-eastern (<<enter date published>>). cesar pty ltd.”
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