Drosophila

From the Publisher

Anyone wishing to tap the research potential of the hundreds of Drosophila species in addition to D.melanogaster will finally have a single comprehensive resource for identifying, rearing and using this diverse group of insects. This is the only group of higher eukaryotes for which the genomes of 12 species have been sequenced.

The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster continues to be one of the greatest sources of information regarding the principles of heredity that apply to all animals, including humans. In reality, however, over a thousand different species of Drosophila exist, each with the potential to make their own unique contributions to the rapidly changing fields of genetics and evolution. This book, by providing basic information on how to identify and breed these other fruitflies, will allow investigators to take advantage, on a large scale, of the valuable qualities of these other Drosophila species and their newly developed genomic resources to address critical scientific questions.

* Provides easy to use keys and illustrations to identify different Drosophila species
* A guide to the life history differences of hundreds of species
* Worldwide distribution maps of hundreds of species
* Complete recipes for different Drosophila diets
* Offers an analysis on how to account for species differences in designing and conducting experiments
* Presents useful ideas of how to collect the many different Drosophila species in the wild

Table of Contents
Ch. 1 Phylogenetic relationships of drosophilidae 3
Ch. 2 Morphological characters 65
Ch. 3 Key to species 85
Ch. 4 Collecting Drosophila in the wild 145
Ch. 5 Distribution 154
Ch. 6 Handling wild-caught specimens 182
Ch. 7 Life history variation 189
Ch. 8 How to use ecological and life history information to rear flies 200
Ch. 9 Dietary considerations 215
Ch. 10 Avoiding experimental artifacts : using information about life history and other differences in experimental design 227
Ch. 11 Troubleshooting 235
Ch. 12 Links to sources for supplies and equipment 243