Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Zaprionus indianus
Mosca africana del higo, African Fig Fly
This species was first recorded on the basis of a single specimen collected in a McPhail trap in Puerto Ayora in January 2006. It has been reared on a wide variety of fruits as well as in tortoise dung (Lehnen et al. unpubl.). Elsewhere, this species is often associated with damaged or fallen rotting fruit, as well as a commercial pests of many tropical fruits (Van der Linde et al. 2006, Sinclair 2023)
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Diptera
Suborder
Brachycera
Superfamily
Ephydroidea
Family
Drosophilidae
Genus
Zaprionus
Species
indianus
Taxon category: Accepted
Origin: Introduced - established
Year of first record: 2006
Mode of introduction: Accidental
Introduction Pathway: Contaminant
Subpathway: Food contaminant
Introduced status: Naturalized
Invasive status: No data
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Zaprionus indianus", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=18578. Accessed 3 November 2026.