Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup
Encyclopedia
The Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup contains 9 species, including the best known species Drosophila melanogaster
and D. simulans
. The subgroup belongs to the Drosophila melanogaster species group
within the subgenus Sophophora
.
simulans complex
yakuba complex
erecta complex
The species of the simulans complex form a hard polytomy
. Most likely, the island species D. (S.) mauritiana (Mauritius
) and D. (S.) sechellia (Seychelles
) branched of from the mainland species D. (S.) simulans in such a narrow time frame that it is impossible to distinguish which species branched off first and which second.
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster is a species of Diptera, or the order of flies, in the family Drosophilidae. The species is known generally as the common fruit fly or vinegar fly. Starting from Charles W...
and D. simulans
Drosophila simulans
Drosophila simulans is a species of fly closely related to D. melanogaster and which belongs to the same melanogaster species subgroup. Its closest relatives are D. mauritiana and D. sechellia...
. The subgroup belongs to the Drosophila melanogaster species group
Drosophila melanogaster species group
The Drosophila melanogaster species group belongs to the subgenus Sophophora and contains 10 subgroups. The phylogeny in this species group is poorly known despite many studies covering many of the species subgroups. The most likely explanation is that the various subgroups diverted from each other...
within the subgenus Sophophora
Sophophora
The paraphyletic subgenus Sophophora of the genus Drosophila was first described by Alfred Sturtevant in 1939. It contains the best known drosophilid species, Drosophila melanogaster. Sophophora translates as carrier of wisdom...
.
Phylogeny
melanogaster complex- D. (S.) melanogasterDrosophila melanogasterDrosophila melanogaster is a species of Diptera, or the order of flies, in the family Drosophilidae. The species is known generally as the common fruit fly or vinegar fly. Starting from Charles W...
Meigen, 1830
simulans complex
- D. (S.) simulansDrosophila simulansDrosophila simulans is a species of fly closely related to D. melanogaster and which belongs to the same melanogaster species subgroup. Its closest relatives are D. mauritiana and D. sechellia...
Sturtevant, 1919 - D. (S.) mauritiana Tsacas and David, 1974
- D. (S.) sechellia Tsacas and Bächli, 1981
yakuba complex
- D. (S.) yakuba Burla, 1954
- D. (S.) santomea Lachaise and Harry, 2000
- D. (S.) teissieri Tsacas, 1971
erecta complex
- D. (S.) erecta Tsacas and Lachaise, 1974
- D. (S.) orena Tsacas and David, 1978
The species of the simulans complex form a hard polytomy
Polytomy
A polytomy , meaning many temporal based branches, is a section of a phylogeny in which the evolutionary relationships can not be fully resolved to dichotomies. In a phylogenetic tree, a polytomy is represented as a node which has more than two immediate descending branches...
. Most likely, the island species D. (S.) mauritiana (Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
) and D. (S.) sechellia (Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
) branched of from the mainland species D. (S.) simulans in such a narrow time frame that it is impossible to distinguish which species branched off first and which second.