Drosophila falleni

Drosophila falleni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Diptera
Family:
Drosophilidae
Genus:
Drosophila
Species:
D. falleni
Binomial name
Drosophila falleni
Wheeler, 1960
Dissected Drosophila falleni infected with juvenile Howardula aoronymphium nematodes

Drosophila falleni is a species of fly found in northeastern North America.[1] A mycophagous insect, it is known to feed on the fruit bodies (mushrooms) of several genera of fungi, including Agaricus, Amanita, Agrocybe, Boletus, Cortinarius, Pluteus Grifola, Polyporus, Hypholoma, Russula, Mycena, Stropharia, and Xerula.[2] The fly can be infested by the parasitic nematode Howardula aoronymphium, which enters the fly larvae when it is feeding on mushrooms.[3]

Drosophila falleni are attracted to mushroom sites by cuing in on specific odourants that are common in rotting mushrooms. However the odourants that attract D. falleni to mushrooms are different from the odours that attract its nematode parasite Howardula aoronymphium. Infection by H. aoronymphium alters D. falleni olfactory preferences, causing infected flies to become more averse to acetate-containing compounds such as ethyl acetate or propyl acetate. Conversely, infected flies become more attracted to 1-nonanol.[4]

The genome of D. falleni was sequenced in 2019 as part of a study on the evolution of immune systems.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grimaldi 1985 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bunyard 2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jaenike 1992 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cevallos, James A.; Okubo, Ryo P.; Perlman, Steve J.; Hallem, Elissa A. (2017). "Olfactory Preferences of the Parasitic Nematode Howardula aoronymphium and its Insect Host Drosophila falleni". Journal of Chemical Ecology. 43 (4): 362–373. doi:10.1007/s10886-017-0834-z. PMC 5673469. PMID 28315996.
  5. ^ Hill, Tom; Koseva, Boryana S; Unckless, Robert L; Singh, Nadia (13 March 2019). "The genome of Drosophila innubila reveals lineage-specific patterns of selection in immune genes". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 36 (7): 1405–1417. doi:10.1093/molbev/msz059. PMC 6573480. PMID 30865231.