Walnut Husk Fly

Rhagoletis completa · Order: Diptera · Family: Tephritidae

Also called: husk maggot

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Walnut Husk Fly
Photo: Don Loarie, CC BY

The walnut husk fly, Rhagoletis completa, is a species of fruit fly in the genus Rhagoletis and family Tephritidae. It belongs to the group of tephritid flies, which are commonly known as fruit flies.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Rhagoletis completa is a fruit fly species in the genus Rhagoletis, family Tephritidae.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Oregon, New Mexico, Missouri, Washington, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Walnut Husk Fly photo 2
Photo: Don Loarie, CC BY
Walnut Husk Fly photo 3
Photo: Hilary Rose Dawson, CC BY
Walnut Husk Fly photo 4
Photo: Gordon C. Snelling, CC BY
Walnut Husk Fly photo 5
Photo: Katja Schulz, CC BY

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/Rhagoletis_completa

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

Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.

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.