Drosophilidae is a diverse, cosmopolitan In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is a state of being found almost anywhere around the world. A cosmopolitan biological category, e.g. genus, may be called a cosmopolite family What does and does not belong to each family is determined by a taxonomist. Similarly for the question if a particular family should be recognized at all. Often there is no exact agreement, with different taxonomists each taking a different position. There are no hard rules that a taxonomist needs to follow in describing or recognizing a family of flies The presence of a single pair of wings distinguishes true flies from other insects with "fly" in their name, such as mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, stoneflies, whiteflies, fireflies, alderflies, dobsonflies, snakeflies, sawflies, caddisflies, butterflies or scorpionflies. Some true flies have become secondarily wingless, especially, including the genus In biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit (a taxon) used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender", cognate with Greek: γένος – genos, "race, stock, kin" Drosophila, which includes fruit flies. The best known species is Drosophila melanogaster that is used extensively for studies concerning genetics Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding. However, the modern science of genetics, which seeks to understand the process of, development, physiology Physiology is the science of the functioning of living systems. It is a subcategory of biology. In physiology, the scientific method is applied to determine how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells and biomolecules carry out the chemical or physical function that they have in a living system. The word physiology is from Greek φύσις, physis,, ecology Ecology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Ecology is also the study of ecosystems. Ecosystems describe the web or network of relations among organisms at different scales of organization. Since ecology refers to any form of biodiversity, ecologists can conduct research on the, behaviour Behavior or behaviour refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment. Behavior can be conscious or subconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary, etc. The fruit fly is mostly composed of post-mitotic cells, has a very short lifespan, and shows gradual aging. Like in other species, temperature influences the life history of the animal. Several genes have been identified whose manipulation extends the lifespan of these animals.
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Economic significance
Generally, drosophilids are considered nuisance flies rather than pests, since most species breed in rotting material. Zaprionus indianus Gupta is unusual among Drosophilidae species in being a serious, primary pest of at least one commercial fruit, figs The Common fig is a large, deciduous shrub or small tree native to southwest Asia and the eastern Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Greece). It grows to a height of 6.9–10 metres (23–33 ft) tall, with smooth grey bark. The leaves are 12–25 centimetres (4.7–9.8 in) long and 10–18 centimetres (3.9–7.1 in) across, and deeply lobed in Brazil.[1] Another species, Drosophila suzukii, infests thin-skinned fruit such a raspberries The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Idaeobatus of the genus Rubus; the name also applies to these plants themselves. The name originally referred to the European species Rubus idaeus (with red fruit), and is still used as its standard English name and cherries The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus. It is a fleshy fruit that contains a single stony seed. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium and can be a serious agricultural pest.[2] Drosophila repleta larvae inhabit drains and spread bacteria.
Identification
The diagnostic characters for Drosophilidae include the presence of an incomplete subcostal vein, two breaks in the costal vein, and a small anal cell in the wing Insect wings are outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments , and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwings, respectively, though a few insects lack hindwings, even rudiments. Insect wings do not constitute appendages in technical parlance, as; convergent postocellar bristles; and usually three frontal bristles on each side of the head, one directed forward and the other two directed rearward. More extensive identification characteristics can be found in "Drosophila: A Guide to Species Identification and Use" by Therese A. Markow and Patrick O'Grady, (Academic Press, 2005) ISBN 0124730523 or "Drosophila: A Laboratory Handbook" by M. Ashburner, K. Golic, S. Hawley, (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2005).
Phylogeny
The knowledge of the phylogeny In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among various groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices. The term phylogenetics is of Greek origin from the terms phyle/phylon (φυλή/φῦλον), meaning "tribe, race," and genetikos (γενετικός of this family is incomplete. The family is subdivided in two subfamilies, the Drosophilinae The Drosophilinae are the largest subfamily in the Drosophilidae. The other subfamily is the Steganinae and the Steganinae The Steganinae Hendel, 1917, is the smaller of two subfamilies in the fruit fly family Drosophilidae. The other subfamily is the Drosophilinae. The two subfamilies do not contain a single morphological character that distinguishes them. However, the combination of characteristics is sufficient to assign species correctly to the subfamilies.
Most molecular phylogeny Molecular phylogenetics, also known as molecular systematics, is the use of the structure of molecules to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree studies focus on the genus In biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit (a taxon) used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender", cognate with Greek: γένος – genos, "race, stock, kin" Drosophila and related genera. Recently, an overview of the more than 100 articles using molecular techniques has been published [3]
Gallery
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Close-up of fruit fly proboscis |
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External links
References
- ^ "Pest Alerts - Zaprionus indianus Gupta, DPI". Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/zaprionusindianus.html. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
- ^ Drosophila suzukii Center of Invasive Species Research
- ^ van der Linde, Kim; Houle, David (2008) A supertree analysis and literature review of the genus Drosophila and closely related genera (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Insect Systematics & Evolution 39(3): 241-267
Categories: Drosophilidae Drosophilidae are a large family of considerable scientific interest. The best know species is Drosophila melanogaster | Flies A fly is any species of insect of the order Diptera, some of which can land on food and transmit bacteria to humans. Particularly the housefly (Musca domestica) is common amongst humans and has caused many diseases to spread in the past. Other flies, such as the horse-fly (Family Tabanidae), can inflict painful bites. The larva of a fly is | Insect families
Helsingin Sanomat
... the Collection Manager of the Finnish Museum of Natural History, says that this yellow-brown, red-eyed fly is a species in the family Drosophilidae . ...
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sdl1000499 Bananflue Drosophilidae pa blad Fruit fly
Ryan
hu, 11 Dec 2008 20:03:06 GM
Service this week announced habitat protections under the Endangered Species Act for 12 species of Hawaii s endemic picture-wing flies small insects in the . Drosophilidae. family known as the birds of paradise of the insect world. ...
