Insects · Diptera · Drosophilidae

Pomace Fly

Drosophila melanogaster

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

Drosophila melanogaster, also called the vinegar fly or fruit fly, is a brachyceran fly of the family Drosophilidae. It takes its name from the fact that it feeds on fermenting fruit such as apples, bananas, grapes and so on. It is a species frequently used in genetic experiments, since it has a small number of chromosomes and a short life cycle, and roughly 61% of known human disease genes have an identifiable counterpart in the fruit fly genome, while 50% of the fly's protein sequences have analogues in mammals.

Size

2 cm – 3 cm

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

GrasslandHerbivore Diurnal Colonial Insect Grassland

6countries

Fun facts

It is the most studied animal in the history of biology: research on this fly has been recognised with several Nobel Prizes, from the demonstration that genes lie on chromosomes to the discovery of circadian clocks and of innate immunity.
It shares about 60% of its genes with people, and around 75% of the genes associated with human disease have an equivalent in it.
Its genome was fully sequenced in 2000, before the human one, and served as a testbed for the techniques later applied to ours.
It is the most influential model organism in biology: eight Nobel Prizes have been awarded for work done wholly or partly with this fly.
Thomas Hunt Morgan chose it in 1909 because it was cheap and fitted in his small laboratory; in January 1910 he found a white-eyed male and showed that the gene lay on the X chromosome. It was the first time a specific gene had been located on a specific chromosome.
His student Alfred Sturtevant used it to build one of the first genetic maps in history.
The Nobels include Morgan's in 1933 for the role of chromosomes in heredity, Muller's in 1946 for X-ray-induced mutations, Lewis, Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus's in 1995 for the genetic control of embryonic development, Hoffmann's in 2011 for innate immunity and Hall, Rosbash and Young's in 2017 for circadian rhythms.
Its genome was sequenced in 2000, one of the first for a multicellular organism.

Life cycle & biology

Habitat & environment: Ripe and fermenting fruit, cellars, kitchens and refuse
Sexual maturity: 7 days
Gestation / incubation: About 24 hours of egg incubation

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila_melanogaster