Sixspot Fruitfly

Sphaeniscus sexmaculatus · Order: Diptera · Family: Tephritidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Sixspot Fruitfly
Photo: Ian Riddell, CC BY-SA

The sixspot fruitfly belongs to the tephritid fruit fly family and the genus Sphaeniscus. It occurs from Sudan southward through South Africa and on islands such as Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Sixspot fruitfly is a species of tephritid or fruit fly in the genus Sphaeniscus.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It is found across a range that includes Sudan, South Africa, Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its distribution runs from Sudan south to South Africa and includes Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius.

Source: Wikipedia

Questions people ask

Where is the sixspot fruitfly found?

It lives from Sudan down to South Africa and on the islands of Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Tephritidae)

Goldenrod Gall FlyGoldenrod Gall FlyEurosta solidaginisThistle Stem Gall FlyThistle Stem Gall FlyUrophora carduiGoldenrod Brussels Sprout Gall FlyGoldenrod Brussels Sprout Gall FlyProcecidochares atraMediterranean Fruit FlyMediterranean Fruit FlyCeratitis capitataDamages trees, gardens or cropsCotton-gall TephritidCotton-gall TephritidAciurina bigeloviaeOriental Fruit FlyOriental Fruit FlyBactrocera dorsalisDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaeniscus_sexmaculatus

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.