Drosophila falleni

Wheeler, 1960

Drosophila falleni is a mycophagous fruit fly native to northeastern North America. It specializes in feeding on the fruiting bodies of diverse fungal . The serves as a for the parasitic Howardula aoronymphium, which manipulates host olfactory . Its was sequenced in 2019 to study immune system evolution.

Drosophila falleni by no rights reserved, uploaded by Ken Kneidel. Used under a CC0 license.

Drosophila falleni by (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Katja Schulz. Used under a CC-BY license.

Drosophila falleni by (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Drosophila falleni: /droʊˈsɔfɪlə ˈfælɛnaɪ/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Member of the Drosophila quinaria group. Distinguished from Drosophila melanogaster by narrower olfactory responses tuned specifically to mushroom-derived odorants. Can be separated from closely related D. innubila by geographic distribution and associations.

Images

Habitat

Mushroom environments; associated with fruiting bodies of fungi in forest and woodland settings.

Distribution

Northeastern North America.

Diet

Mycophagous; feeds on fruit bodies (mushrooms) of multiple fungal including Agaricus, Amanita, Agrocybe, Boletus, Cortinarius, Pluteus, Grifola, Polyporus, Hypholoma, Russula, Mycena, Stropharia, and Xerula.

Host Associations

Howardula aoronymphium - Parasitic that infects fly larvae during mushroom feeding; alters olfactory preferences

Behavior

Attracted to mushroom sites by cueing in on specific odorants common in rotting mushrooms. Exhibits narrower olfactory responses compared to Drosophila melanogaster, consistent with specialized mycophagous . by Howardula aoronymphium alters olfactory preferences: infected flies become more averse to acetate-containing compounds (ethyl acetate, propyl acetate) and more attracted to 1-nonanol.

Drosophila innubilaMember of same group (quinaria); distinguished by distribution and ecological associations
Drosophila melanogaster fruit fly with broader olfactory responses; D. falleni exhibits narrower, mushroom-specific olfactory tuning
Drosophila suzukii pest of soft fruits with serrated ovipositor; D. falleni is mycophagous, not a crop pest

More Details

Genome sequencing

sequenced in 2019 to investigate evolution of immune systems

Olfactory research significance

Used as model system to study how parasitic alters sensory and foraging decisions