Shore fly, Scatella tenuicosta (Diptera: Ephydridae): A Pest of Ornamentals in Flower Farms of Ethiopia

Abstract

Accurate identification of an insect pest is a prerequisite for a biological control program. Owing to the newness of glasshouse horticulture in Ethiopia, the identity of most pests inflicting damage to various plant species is not known at species level. Black flies in Poinsettia at Desa farm located at Koka in the central rift valley were regarded as sciarid flies (Diptera: Sciaridae). A need to implement biological control of the pest necessitated accurate identification o f the insect. Adult flies were collected by tapping leaves with the fly onto vial filled with 70 % ethanol. Samples were sent for expert identification to Wageningen University of the Netherlands. The insect was identified as shore flies, Scatella tenuicosta Collin (Diptera: Ephydridae). Morphological differences of the two flies including their biology are outlined.