Diopsis sp.


Common name:	Stalk-Eyed Fly

Order:	Diptera
Family:	Diopsidae

HOSTS:
Main hosts:	Sorghum
Alternative hosts:	Rice, Millet, Sugarcane

IMPORTANCE IN ETHIOPIA:
Minor pest of:	Sorghum

DAMAGE
	Attack by this species results in "dead hearts". The damage is similar to that caused by Atherigona soccata. Diopsis will appear later in the season. When the dry season starts, the population of Diopsis decreases rapidly. This insect has also been recorded on sorghum in Ethiopia but its pest status is uncertain.

INSECT BIOLOGY & RECOGNITION:
Larva:	The maggots feed inside the stems or tillers of seedlings.
Adult:	Adult flies of the Diopsis spp. are easily recognized as they have eyes on stalks. Diopsis spp. Adult, notice the eyes on stalks.

	*Adult of Diopsis* sp.**

Text adapted from:

INSECT PESTS OF CEREALS IN ETHIOPIA identification and control methods by Hein Bijlmakers, FAO/UNDP Project ETH/86/029 Crop Protection Phase II, Addis Ababa, October 1989