Abstract
The 'cornsilk fly,' Euxesta stigmatias Loew, is an attractive, dark metallic green fly with distinctive wing patterns and wing flapping behavior commonly found throughout southern Florida agricultural communities. Its normally saprophytic life style belies its destructive nature when it comes to its preference for sweet corn ears. Entire fields may have to be passed up for harvest if they went untreated for this destructive pest or if individual treatments were missed due to weather, time or other constraints. This document is EENY-224, one of a series of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date August 2001. Revised July 2005.
References
App BA. 1938. Euxesta stigmatias Loew, an otitid fly infesting ear corn in Puerto Rico. Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico 23:181-187. https://doi.org/10.46429/jaupr.v22i2.12910
Branco MC, Villas Boas GL, Reifschneider FJB, Cruz I. 1994. Evaluation of resistance to Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)(Boddie) and Euxesta sp. (Diptera: Otitidae) in lines of sweet corn. Anais da Sociedade Entomologica do Brasil 23: 137-140. https://doi.org/10.37486/0301-8059.v23i1.920
Capinera JL. Handbook of Vegetable Pests. Academic Press, San Diego. 729 pp.
Evans DC, Zambrano E. 1991. Insect damage in maize of highland Ecuador and its significance in small farm pest management. Tropical Pest Management 37: 409-414. https://doi.org/10.1080/09670879109371626
Frias D. 1981. Diferencias de microhabitats entre Euxesta eluta y Euxesta annonae (Diptera, Otitidae). Agricultura Tecnica (Chile) 41: 89-94.
Hentz MG, Nuessly GS. 2004. A technique for rearing the sweet corn pest, Euxesta stigmatias (Diptera: Otitidae) on a Helicoverpa diet. Journal of Entomological Science 39: 140-143. https://doi.org/10.18474/0749-8004-39.1.140
Nuessly G., Pernezny K, Stansly P, Sprenkel R, Lentini R. (1999). Florida Corn Insect Identification Guide. UF/IFAS. http://fciig.ifas.ufl.edu/frcsilk.htm (27 July 2001).
Nuessly GS, Hentz MG. 2004. Contact and leaf residue activity of insecticides against the sweet corn pest Euxesta stigmatias Lowe (Diptera: Otitidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 97: 496-502. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/97.2.496
Painter RH. 1955. Insects on corn and teosinte in Guatemala. Journal of Economic Entomology 48: 36-42. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/48.1.36
Scully BT, Nuessly GS, Beiriger RL. 2000. Resistance in maize to Euxesta stigmatias Loew (Diptera: Otitidae). Journal of Entomological Science. 35: 432-443. https://doi.org/10.18474/0749-8004-35.4.432
Seal DR, Jansson RK. 1989. Biology and management of corn-silk fly, Euxesta stigmatis Loew (Diptera: Otitidae), on sweet corn in southern Florida. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society 102:370- 373.
Seal DR, Jansson RK. 1993. Oviposition and development of Euxesta stigmatis (Diptera: Otitidae). Environmental Entomology 22:88-92. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/22.1.88
Seal DR, Jansson RK, Bondari K. 1995. Bionomics of Euxesta stigmatis (Diptera: Otitidae) on sweet corn. Environmental Entomology 24:917-922. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/24.4.917
Seal DR, Jansson RK, Bondari K. 1996. Abundance and reproduction of Euxesta stigmatis (Diptera: Otitidae) on sweet corn in different environmental conditions. Florida Entomologist 79:413-422. https://doi.org/10.2307/3495591
Steyskal GC. 1968. Family Otitida (Ortalidae: including Pterocallidae, Ulidiidae), pp 54.1-54.31. In Vanzolini PE, Papavero N. [eds.], A Catalogue of the Diptera of the Americas South of the United States. Depto Zoologia, Secretaria de Agricultura, Sao Paulo, Brasil.
Steyskal GC. 1974. Euxesta mazorca, new species, associated with ears of maize in South America (Diptera, Otitidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 87: 73-76.
Wilkerson JL, Webb SE, Capinera JL. (2005). Vegetable Pests I: Coleoptera - Diptera - Hymenoptera. UF/IFAS CD-ROM. SW 180.