It is one of the major pest species in the genus Bactrocera with a broad host range of cultivated and wild fruits.

The T-shape marking consists of a dark medial and transverse band along the fly's abdomen.

[10] The B. dorsalis species has distinctive yellow and black markings on its thorax and abdomen, which may vary between flies.

[11] Endemic to Southeast Asia, B. dorsalis is a highly invasive pest species that now has a presence in at least 65 countries.

Four major oriental fruit fly eradication efforts occurred in response to infestations in California between 1960 and 1997.

[13] CLIMEX, a modeling software, has been used to map the future trajectory for the fruit fly in terms of opportunities for increasing its distribution.

Under current conditions, the fly's projected distribution includes much of the tropics and subtropics and extends into areas like Mediterranean Europe.

One male fly was recently found in New Zealand, but it is so far unclear as to whether a breeding population has been established.

[11] Eggs hatch to larvae and moult twice (there are three larval instars) while feeding on the flesh of the fruit for about 6–35 days.

[15] Pupation can take approximately 10–12 days, but depending on the season, this process can be delayed in cooler conditions.

Once sexual maturity is reached (which takes approximately 9 days), adults engage in the mating process and the life cycle repeats.

The adult lifespan for B. dorsalis is about 90 days, and the flies have been reported to travel up to 30 miles in search of new egg laying sites and food, such as decaying fruit and plant nectar.

[19] Reproductive senescence does appear to be present in this species, as male and female age correlates negatively with the rate of fertilization.

[19] The flight capacity of B. dorsalis adult females at various life stages has been observed in order to better understand and prevent their spread.

Past research has shown that the species can spread extensively following fruit harvests, with a dispersal radius up to 37 km observed in Hawaii.

[21] Researchers have also tested the relationship between certain gut symbiotic bacteria and fly foraging behavior and nutrient ingestion.

[22] Aposymbiotic flies responded faster to diets in experimental conditions and fed more, for longer periods of time.

In the Pacific Islands, the fly has restricted the development of a diverse tropical fruit and vegetable industry, necessitated that commercial fruits go through quarantine treatment before shipment, and provided an avenue for their introduction to countries not previously exposed to the fly species.

[23] The Miami-Dade County in Florida had to perform the quarantine technique when the insect was detected in fruits there in August 2015; they were eliminated from the area in February 2016.

[13] In addition to these, Hawaii has developed methods to suppress Bactrocera species using parasitoid wasps, including Fopius arisanus.

F. arisanus has been observed to be the most successful example of parasitoid control of B. dorsalis, and researchers are looking to introduce its model of suppression from Hawaii to other areas of the world that the fly affects.

Researchers have identified three point mutations in B. dorsalis' gene encoding AChE that generate nonsynonymous changes in the produced amino acid sequence.