Drosophila melanogaster, belonging to the family of Drosophilidae, is a species of fly. They are often referred to as the lesser fruit fly or fruit fly. These find applications in research in the streams of physiology, genetics, life history evolution and microbial pathogenesis.
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In them, the wild type fruit flies appear as yellowish-brown having transverse black rings through the abdomen with brick-red eyes, which is due to the pigment xanthommatin and drosopterins.
The differentiating factor between the female and male Drosophila melanogaster lies in physical morphology. The male flies have a short abdomen with some stripes, on the other hand, the female counterparts show a longer abdomen with comparatively more stripes.
Drosophila melanogaster – Male and Female
The lifespan of D. melanogaster is approximately 50 days, right from the stage of being in an egg until death. Its phase of development differs with ambient temperature. At higher temperatures, the developmental period reduces as a result of stress from heat.
Females produce close to 400 embryos or eggs (approximately 5 in one go) into decaying or rotting fruits. These are holometabolous entities, hence undergoing a complete metamorphosis.
Their life cycle has 4 stages – embryo, larva, pupa and adult stage. It is in the tubular receptacle and in the spermatheca (two mushroom-shaped) that the females accumulate their sperm.
As seen in mammals, it is not the presence or absence of the Y chromosome that determines the gender. Instead, it is the ratio of the female determinants found on the X chromosome and the male determinants on the autosomes. It is a male if there is one copy of the X chromosome; if there are two copies, then the fly is a female.
Key Difference between Male and Female Drosophila melanogaster
The table below depicts the difference between Male and Female Drosophila melanogaster.
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These are smaller counterparts with sex chromosomes – X chromosome and Y chromosome |
These are larger counterparts with sex chromosomes – X and X chromosome |
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Comparatively smaller |
Comparatively larger than male flies |
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No |
Yes, on the dorsal surface at the rear side |
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Stripes are less thickened |
Stripes are finer |
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Two |
One |
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Yes, found on the fourth segments of the front leg; these are densely spaced bristles |
No |
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Round towards the bottom; short |
Pointed towards the bottom; long |
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Yes |
No |
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