What is Drosophila?
{{italictitle}} {{Taxobox | image = Drosophila pseudoobscura-Male.png | image_caption = ''[[Drosophila pseudoobscura]]'' |image_width=250px | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Arthropod]]a | classis = [[Insect]]a | ordo = [[Fly|Diptera]] | subordo = [[Brachycera]] | familia = [[Drosophilidae]] | subfamilia = [[Drosophilinae]] | genus = '''''Drosophila''''' | genus_authority = [[Carl Frederick Fallén|Fallén]], 1823 }} [[File:Drosophila egg.png|thumb|200px|Egg]] [[File:Fruit fly larva 01.jpg|thumb|200px| Larva]] [[File:Fruit fly pupae 01.jpg|thumb|200px|Pupae (brown examples are older than the white ones)]] '''''Drosophila''''' is a [[genus]] of small [[fly|flies]], belonging to the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Drosophilidae]] They are often called called fruit flies, vinegar flies or wine flies. Many species linger around overripe or rotting fruit. There are many [[species]] in this genus, and the genus is split down into sub-genera. The adults may feed on nectar, and may lay their eggs on or near decaying fruit. The details differ greatly from species to species. == Species == Their distribution is world-wide. In [[Britain]] alone more than 5000 species have been recorded.<ref>Shorrocks B. 1972. ''Drosophila''. London: Ginn, p79. ISBN 0-602-21665-6</ref> The largest number of species is in the [[Hawaiian Islands]]. Several species of ''Drosophila'' (in particular, ''[[Drosophila melanogaster|D. melanogaster]]'') were used in [[genetics]] research. It is a common model organism in [[developmental biology]]. The genus has more than 1,500 species,<ref name=taxodros>Bächli G. 1999–2006. [http://taxodros.unizh.ch/ TaxoDros] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209011323/http://taxodros.unizh.ch/ |date=2006-02-09 }}: The database on taxonomy of Drosophilidae.</ref> and has varied appearance, behaviour, and breeding habitats. Other species which have been widely investigated include [[Drosophila pseudoobscura|''D. pseudoobscura'']] (used by [[Dobzhansky]] in field research) and [[Drosophila subobscura