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Parasites & Vectors Nov 2014Insect evolution, from a free to a parasitic lifestyle, took eons under the pressure of a plethora of ecological and environmental drivers in different habitats,... (Review)
Review
Insect evolution, from a free to a parasitic lifestyle, took eons under the pressure of a plethora of ecological and environmental drivers in different habitats, resulting in varying degrees of interactions with their hosts. Most Drosophilidae are known to be adapted to feeding on substrates rich in bacteria, yeasts and other microfungi. Some of them, mainly those in the Steganinae subfamily, display a singular behaviour, feeding on animal tissues or secretions. This behaviour may represent an evolving tendency towards parasitism. Indeed, while the predatory attitude is typical for the larval stages of a great proportion of flies within this subfamily, adult males of the genera Amiota, Apsiphortica and Phortica display a clearly zoophilic attitude, feeding on the lachrymal secretions of living mammals (also referred as to lachryphagy). Ultimately, some of these lachryphagous species act as vectors and intermediate hosts for the spirurid nematode Thelazia callipaeda, which parasitizes the eyes of domestic and wild carnivores and also humans. Here we review the scientific information available and provide an opinion on the roots of their evolution towards the parasitic behaviour. The distribution of T. callipaeda and its host affiliation is also discussed and future trends in the study of the ecology of Steganinae are outlined.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Drosophilidae; Feeding Behavior; Male; Spirurida Infections; Thelazioidea
PubMed: 25404259
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-014-0516-4 -
Journal of Economic Entomology Oct 2021Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) also known as spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), is a pest native to Southeast Asia. In the last few decades, the... (Review)
Review
Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) also known as spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), is a pest native to Southeast Asia. In the last few decades, the pest has expanded its range to affect all major European and American fruit production regions. SWD is a highly adaptive insect that is able to disperse, survive, and flourish under a range of environmental conditions. Infestation by SWD generates both direct and indirect economic impacts through yield losses, shorter shelf life of infested fruit, and increased production costs. Fresh markets, frozen berries, and fruit export programs have been impacted by the pest due to zero tolerance for fruit infestation. As SWD control programs rely heavily on insecticides, exceedance of maximum residue levels (MRLs) has also resulted in crop rejections. The economic impact of SWD has been particularly severe for organic operations, mainly due to the limited availability of effective insecticides. Integrated pest management (IPM) of SWD could significantly reduce chemical inputs but would require substantial changes to horticultural management practices. This review evaluates the most promising methods studied as part of an IPM strategy against SWD across the world. For each of the considered techniques, the effectiveness, impact, sustainability, and stage of development are discussed.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Fruit; Insect Control; Insecticides
PubMed: 34516634
DOI: 10.1093/jee/toab158 -
Zootaxa Jun 2016This catalogue presents 176 species distributed in 17 genera and four tribes of Drosophilidae in Colombia, with both subfamilies, Drosophilinae and Steganinae,...
This catalogue presents 176 species distributed in 17 genera and four tribes of Drosophilidae in Colombia, with both subfamilies, Drosophilinae and Steganinae, represented in the Colombian territory. This is probably an underestimate of the real richness of drosophilid species in the country, for two reasons. First, there are relatively few collections of Drosophilidae in Colombia, resulting in significant spatial gaps in the sampling of these flies. Second, we have not considered here species that have already been recorded in neighbour countries but not in Colombia. Consequently, there are certainly several described species, as well as new species, that occur in this area but are not listed here. We hope that this catalogue will stimulate new inventories of drosophilids in Colombia, contributing to fill gaps in the knowledge of this family of flies in the country.
Topics: Animal Distribution; Animals; Catalogs as Topic; Colombia; Drosophilidae; Ecosystem; Female; Male
PubMed: 27395311
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4122.1.63 -
Fly Dec 2022The genus is one of the two Drosophilidae genera with Hawaiian endemic species. This genus is an excellent model for biogeographic studies since it is distributed... (Review)
Review
The genus is one of the two Drosophilidae genera with Hawaiian endemic species. This genus is an excellent model for biogeographic studies since it is distributed throughout the majority of continents, including continental islands, the Hawaiian Islands, and many other remote oceanic islands. This genus currently comprises 273 described species, 148 of which are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. However, most descriptions were published before efforts to standardizing the morphological terminology across the Diptera were made in the 1980's. Since research groups developed their own set of terminologies independently, without considering homologies, multiple terms have been used to refer to the same characters. This is especially true for the male terminalia, which have remarkable modifications within the family Drosophilidae. We reviewed the literature, in addition to other studies across the Drosophilidae and Diptera, compiled the English synonyms, and provided a visual atlas of each body part, indicating how to recognize the morphological characters. The goal of the present study is to facilitate species identification and propose preferred terms to be adopted for future descriptions.
Topics: Animals; Drosophilidae; Male; Phylogeny
PubMed: 34641736
DOI: 10.1080/19336934.2021.1969220 -
Journal of Insect Science (Online) May 2020After its initial discovery in California in 2008, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura has become one of the most important invasive agricultural pest insects across climate... (Review)
Review
After its initial discovery in California in 2008, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura has become one of the most important invasive agricultural pest insects across climate zones in much of Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Populations of D. suzukii have demonstrated notable behavioral and physiological plasticity, adapting to diverse environmental and climatic conditions, interspecific competition, novel food sources, and potential predators. This adaptability and plasticity have enabled rapid range expansion and diversified niche use by D. suzukii, making it a species particularly suited to changing habitats and conditions. This article reviews factors and evidence that influence plasticity in D. suzukii and promotes this species' invasiveness.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Climate; Drosophila; Environment; Food Chain; Introduced Species
PubMed: 32417920
DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieaa034 -
Trends in Parasitology Mar 2021
Review
Topics: Animals; Asia; Drosophilidae; Europe; Female; Humans; Life Cycle Stages; Male; Spirurida Infections; Thelazioidea
PubMed: 32451294
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.04.013 -
Fly 2013The D. flavopilosa group encompasses an ecologically restricted set of species strictly adapted to hosting flowers of Cestrum (Solanaceae). This group presents potential... (Review)
Review
The D. flavopilosa group encompasses an ecologically restricted set of species strictly adapted to hosting flowers of Cestrum (Solanaceae). This group presents potential to be used as a model to the study of different questions regarding ecologically restricted species macro and microevolutionary responses, geographical vs. ecological speciation and intra and interspecific competition. This review aims to revisit and reanalyze the patterns and processes that are subjacent to the interesting ecological and evolutionary properties of these species. Biotic and abiotic niche properties of some species were reanalyzed in face of ecological niche modeling approaches in order to get some insights into their ecological evolution. A test of the potential of DNA-Barcoding provided evidences that this technology may be a way of overcoming difficulties related to cryptic species differentiation. The new focus replenishes the scenario with new questions, presenting a case where neither geographical nor ecological speciation may be as yet suggested.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Cestrum; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; Drosophila; Female; Geography; Male; Phylogeny; Species Specificity
PubMed: 23459119
DOI: 10.4161/fly.23923 -
Zootaxa Mar 2022This checklist contains taxonomic information and distributions for 720 drosophilid species, including all species descended from the most recent common ancestor of the...
This checklist contains taxonomic information and distributions for 720 drosophilid species, including all species descended from the most recent common ancestor of the Hawaiian Drosophilidae and all adventive species present in the Hawaiian Islands. The ancestor of the Hawaiian Drosophilidae colonized the archipelago roughly 25 million years ago and now includes 689 described taxa. This includes species placed in the genus Scaptomyza (273 spp), only some of which are Hawaiian endemics (148 spp), and all endemic Hawaiian Drosophila (416 spp). There are also 33 adventive species that have been introduced to Hawaii in the past ~200 years. Taxonomic placement, to the level of species subgroup, and all references related to replacement names and synonyms are included. This is the first comprehensive list to be published in over a decade and includes many recent changes and additions to the fauna, including 130 new species names. This checklist will serve as the basis for future revisionary work on the endemic Hawaiian Drosophilidae, particularly the genus Scaptomyza.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Drosophilidae; Hawaii; Phylogeny
PubMed: 35391282
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5106.1.1 -
Journal of Economic Entomology Aug 2022Since the early phase of the intercontinental dispersal of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), fermentation baits have been used for monitoring....
Since the early phase of the intercontinental dispersal of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), fermentation baits have been used for monitoring. Self-made lures and commercial products are often based on wine and vinegar. From an ecological perspective, the formulation of these baits is expected to target especially vinegar flies associated with overripe fruit, such as Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Hanseniaspora uvarum (Niehaus) (Ascomycota: Saccharomyceta) is a yeast closely associated with D. suzukii and fruit, and furthermore attractive to the flies. Based on this relation, H. uvarum might represent a suitable substrate for the development of lures that are more specific than vinegar and wine. In the field, we therefore, compared H. uvarum to a commercial bait that was based on vinegar and wine with respect to the number of trapped D. suzukii relative to other drosophilids and arthropods. Trap captures were higher with the commercial bait but specificity for D. suzukii was greater with H. uvarum. Moreover, H. uvarum headspace extracts, as well as a synthetic blend of H. uvarum volatiles, were assayed for attraction of D suzukii in a wind tunnel and in the field. Headspace extracts and the synthetic blend induced strong upwind flight in the wind tunnel and confirmed attraction to H. uvarum volatiles. Furthermore, baited with H. uvarum headspace extract and a drowning solution of aqueous acetic acid and ethanol, 74% of field captured arthropods were D. suzukii. Our findings suggest that synthetic yeast headspace formulations might advance the development of more selective monitoring traps with reduced by-catch.
Topics: Acetic Acid; Animals; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Fruit; Hanseniaspora; Insect Control; Yeasts
PubMed: 35385117
DOI: 10.1093/jee/toac029 -
Development Genes and Evolution Dec 2022The origin, diversification, and secondary loss of sexually dimorphic characters are common in animal evolution. In some cases, structurally and functionally similar...
The origin, diversification, and secondary loss of sexually dimorphic characters are common in animal evolution. In some cases, structurally and functionally similar traits have evolved independently in multiple lineages. Prominent examples of such traits include the male-specific grasping structures that develop on the front legs of many dipteran insects. In this report, we describe the evolution and development of one of these structures, the male-specific "sex brush." The sex brush is composed of densely packed, irregularly arranged modified bristles and is found in several distantly related lineages in the family Drosophilidae. Phylogenetic analysis using 250 genes from over 200 species provides modest support for a single origin of the sex brush followed by many secondary losses; however, independent origins of the sex brush cannot be ruled out completely. We show that sex brushes develop in very similar ways in all brush-bearing lineages. The dense packing of brush hairs is explained by the specification of bristle precursor cells at a near-maximum density permitted by the lateral inhibition mechanism, as well as by the reduced size of the surrounding epithelial cells. In contrast to the female and the ancestral male condition, where bristles are arranged in stereotypical, precisely spaced rows, cell migration does not contribute appreciably to the formation of the sex brush. The complex phylogenetic history of the sex brush can make it a valuable model for investigating coevolution of sex-specific morphology and mating behavior.
Topics: Animals; Male; Female; Phylogeny; Biological Evolution; Drosophilidae; Drosophila melanogaster; Phenotype; Sex Characteristics
PubMed: 35939093
DOI: 10.1007/s00427-022-00694-3