Drosophila guttifera

Drosophila guttifera is a species of vinegar fly in the Drosophila quinaria species group.^[1][2][3][4] Like many quinaria group species, D. guttifera feeds on rotting mushrooms.^[5]

Drosophila guttifera
A D. guttifera male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Drosophilidae
Genus:	Drosophila
Species:	D. guttifera
Binomial name
Drosophila guttifera Walker, 1849
Synonyms[1]
Drosophila multipunctata Loew, 1866

In 2015, the genome of Drosophila guttifera was sequenced by the laboratory of Sean B. Carroll providing an answer on how different wing patterns emerge in this species, relying on genetic switches called enhancers that drive the polka-dot pattern on the wings of D. guttifera.^[6] These enhancers are cis-regulatory elements, which can promote new wing patterns by modifying gene expression, rather than the actual protein being expressed.^[5]

Further reading

• Description of background on D. guttifera use in genetic studies in the Drosophila quinaria species group article.

Gallery

• 
  Wing comparisons in the Drosophila quinaria species group
• 
  Drosophila guttifera male