Sophophora | |
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A male Drosophila melanogaster fly | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Diptera |
Family: | Drosophilidae |
Subfamily: | Drosophilinae |
Genus: | Drosophila |
Subgenus: | Sophophora Sturtevant, 1939 |
Type species | |
Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, 1830
| |
Species groups | |
The paraphyletic subgenus Sophophora of the genus Drosophila was first described by Alfred Sturtevant in 1939.[1] It contains the best-known drosophilid species, Drosophila melanogaster. Sophophora translates as carrier (phora) of wisdom (sophos). The subgenus is paraphyletic because the genus Lordiphosa[2][3] and the species Hirtodrosophila duncani[4][5] are also placed within this subgenus.