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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae" » Ephydroidea » Vinegar Flies (Drosophilidae) » Drosophilinae » Drosophila

Genus Drosophila

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Remarks · Internet References

fly found on tree sap - Drosophila colorata

Small Red-Orange Fly - Drosophila

Small Biting fly - Drosophila

vinegar fly - Drosophila repleta - female

Drosophilidae? - Drosophila - male

Decomposer in a rearing container - Drosophila busckii

Small flies mating on rotting fruit - Drosophila suzukii - male - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon ("Acalyptratae")

Superfamily Ephydroidea

Family Drosophilidae (Vinegar Flies)

Subfamily Drosophilinae

Genus Drosophila

Explanation of Names

Drosophila Fallén 1823

From Greek meaning dew-lover.

Numbers

Nearctica lists 113 species.

Identification

Helpful notes. Go to Flickr and hover the mouse over the image:

Vinegar Fly

Remarks

With around 800 ommatidia on each eye.

Taxonomic structure contributed by MA Ebbert :

I. Subgenus Drosophila

A. Quinaria section

1. Funebris group: funebris (cosmopolitan), macrospina

2. Immigrans group: immigrans (cosmopolitan)

3. Quinaria group: quinaria, falleni, recens, palustris

4. Testacea group: putrida

5. Tripunctata group: tripunctata

B. Guttifera group: guttifera

C. Virilis-repleta radiation

1. Melanica group: melanica, paramelanica, nigromelanica, micromelanica

2. Repleta radiation: repleta (cosmopolitan), hydei (cosmopolitan)

3. Robusta group: robusta

4. Virilis group: virilis, americana, texana

II. Subgenus Sophophora

A. Melanogaster group: melanogaster (cosmopolitan), simulans (cosmopolitan)

B. Obscura group: algonquin, affinis, narragansett, athabasca

III. Subgenus Dorsilopha: one species, busckii (cosmopolitan)

...

Features helpful in identifying species of this genus

Mesonotum, dorsal view, showing number of rows of hairs, orientation and presence of various bristles and colors patterns.

Banding patterns on the dorsal abdomen: whether the bands are interrupted along the mid-line, and whether there are any obvious spotting patterns.

Foreleg to see sex combs.

Wing coloration: clear versus clouding at cross veins or tips.

Internet References

NCBI List of species and species groups.

Barcode of Life

Drosophila database

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 19 September, 2004 - 2:17pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Harsi S. Parker, Arturo Santos
Last updated 18 December, 2023 - 9:43am

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