CreatureData

Hessian fly

Mayetiola destructor (Say, 1817)

Status not recordedinsects

The hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) is a species in the family Cecidomyiidae, order Diptera.

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Quick facts about the hessian fly

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the hessian fly live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the hessian fly as introduced in 2 countries, and flagged as invasive in 1 of them.

  1. Chinainvasive
  2. United States

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the hessian fly endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the hessian fly classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumArthropoda
  3. classInsecta
  4. orderDiptera
  5. familyCecidomyiidae
  6. genusMayetiola
  7. SpeciesMayetiola destructor (Say, 1817)

Synonyms Cecidomyia culmicola, Cecidomyia destructor, Cecidomyia frumentaria, Cecidomyia secalina, Mayetiola orientalis, Mayetiola secalis, Phytophaga cerealis, Phytophaga destructor, Rhabdophaga elymi, Rhabdophaga pratensis

Other names and names in other languages (14)
  • Barley midgeEnglish
  • bejlomorka obilnáCzech
  • Hessisk flueDanish
  • mouche de HesseFrench
  • korngallmyggNorwegian Bokmål
  • Hessische mugDutch
  • Гессенская мухаRussian
  • byľomor obilnýSlovak
  • hessisk flugaSwedish
  • Buğday KesiksineğiTurkish
  • 小麦黑森瘿蚊Chinese
  • Hessisk galmygDanish
  • Moucheron des céréalesFrench
  • korngallmyggaSwedish

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the hessian fly

Other species in the same genus Mayetiola.

CompareHessian fly vs Barley stem gall midgeHessian fly vs Mayetiola agrostidisHessian fly vs Mayetiola agrostivoraHessian fly vs Mayetiola alopecuri

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Is the hessian fly an invasive species?

In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the hessian fly as invasive in 1 country: China. It lists it as introduced in 2 in all.

What kind of animal is the hessian fly?

The hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) belongs to the family Cecidomyiidae in the order Diptera.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-13. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/hessian-fly

MLA

“Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/hessian-fly.

BibTeX
@misc{hessian_fly_2026,
  title = {Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/hessian-fly},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-13}
}