railroad worm

noun

A larva or larviform female adult of a beetle of the genus Phrixothrix, characterized by two different colours of bioluminescence, red and green, like railroad signals.

Similar
apple maggotRhagoletis pomonella
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Meanings

nounrailroad worm (plural railroad worms)

plural railroad worms

  1. A larva or larviform female adult of a beetle of the genus Phrixothrix, characterized by two different colours of bioluminescence, red and green, like railroad signals.
  2. An apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella)

Synonyms & antonyms

nounlarvae bore into and feed on apples

Similar
apple maggotRhagoletis pomonella
Broader
fruit flypomace fly
Also see
apple maggot

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

railroad worm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/railroad%20worm

MLA

“railroad worm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/railroad%20worm. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “railroad worm,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/railroad%20worm.

Source: railroad worm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.