Immature stages are similar in appearance to those of other Bactrocera. The adult female is approximately 6 mm long, has a wing expanse of 10 to 12 mm, and has mostly transparent wings marked with brown. The fly is brown marked with yellow. On the thorax a broad creamy, often pale, dorsal band runs down the scutellum, and there is a well-defined narrow pale yellow stripe on each side. The humeri, or shoulders, are pale yellow, also. The abdomen is constricted at the base, flared in the middle, and broadly rounded at the tip, not counting the ovipositor of the female.