Drosophila synthetica

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Microscopic image of Drosophila synthetica and Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila synthetica (large) with a photo of D. melanogaster (small) for comparison. The eyes are reduced in size and do not have red pigments.

Drosophila synthetica describes a genetically manipulated population of the black-bellied fruit fly ( Drosophila melanogaster ). This population wasmodifiedunder laboratory conditions in such a way that it differs morphologically and genetically strongly enough from D. melanogaster to be recognizedas a separate species . D. synthetica has white, smaller eyes and more veined wings than D. melanogaster . The population was first described in 2012 by the Swiss cell biologist Eduardo Moreno.

features

D. synthetica is morphologically similar to D. melanogaster . However, the eyes are reduced in size and, unlike D. melanogaster, have no red pigments, which leads to blindness. The wings of D. synthetica have additional lateral veins compared to their mother species .

Reproduction

D. synthetica - fruit flies are mutually fertile and can produce fertile, viable offspring. Although eggs and larvae originate from the pairing of D. synthetica and D. melanogaster, the larvae die during pupation and are not able to develop into adults . Thus the population of D. synthetica is reproductive-biologically isolated from D. melanogaster and all other species.

Systematics

D. synthetica fulfills all requirements to be recognized as a separate species: it is genetically and morphologically distinguishable from all other species and cannot be crossed with them. The breeder of the flies, the Swiss cell biologist Eduardo Moreno, therefore suggested treating them as a “synthetic species” and contrasting them with “natural species” as such. Its original publication in the specialist journal PLOS ONE from 2012 does not contain a formal description as a new species, only a brief list of morphological and genetic characteristics. Moreno did not give a holotype , body measurements or a taxonomic classification. D. synthetica are the first animal organisms that reproduce safely in isolation from their mother species and in which the genes required for this isolation are known.

literature

Web links

Commons : Drosophila synthetica  - collection of images, videos and audio files