Thermal-plasticity
Guides
Cheumatopsyche
Little Sister Sedges
Cheumatopsyche is a large genus of net-spinning caddisflies comprising at least 240 described species. Larvae construct silk capture nets to filter food from flowing water and are important components of freshwater benthic communities. Species exhibit variable life histories including univoltine and multivoltine cycles, with some populations capable of producing additional generations when thermal conditions permit. The genus is widely distributed across multiple continents and serves as a significant bioindicator for water quality assessment.
Drosophila guttifera
Drosophila guttifera is a species of vinegar fly in the Drosophila quinaria species group, notable for its distinctive polka-dotted wing pigmentation pattern. The species feeds on rotting mushrooms and has become an important model organism for studying the genetic mechanisms underlying complex morphological pattern formation. Its genome was sequenced in 2015, revealing how cis-regulatory enhancers drive wing pattern development. Research has demonstrated that the wing spot pattern shows thermal plasticity and is regulated by the wingless morphogen, while the yellow and tan genes are co-expressed to produce the abdominal and wing melanin spot patterns.