Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster (Black-bellied Dew-lover) a dipteran (two-winged) insect, is the species of fruit fly that is commonly used in genetic experiments; it is among the most important model organisms. In modern biological literature, it is often simply called Drosophila or (common) fruit fly. Students also nickname it Drozzy.

Life cycle

The life cycle of Drosophila melanogaster at 25 °C takes only 2 weeks; everything takes about twice as long at 18 °C. Females lay some 400 eggs (embryos) into rotting fruit or other organic material. The eggs, which are about 0.5 millimetres long, eclose after 24 h. The resulting larvae grow for 5 days while molting twice, at about 24 and 48 h after eclosion. During this time, they feed on the microorganisms that decompose the fruit, as well as on the sugar of the fruit themselves. Then the larvae encapsulate in the puparium and undergo a five-day-long metamorphosis, after which the adults emerge.

Related Topics:
Larva - Molt - Pupa - Metamorphosis

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Females first mate about 12 hours after emergence. The females store sperm from previous males they mated with for later use. For this reason geneticists must collect the female fly before her first mating, that is, a virgin female, and ensure that she mates only with the particular male needed for the experiment. Inseminated females can be "re-virginized" by prolonged incubation at -10 °C, which kills the sperm, according to Michael Ashburner's "red book".

Related Topics:
Sperm - Michael Ashburner's

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