Difference Between Male and Female Fruit Flies

Male vs Female Fruit Fly

Fruit flies areinsectscategorized under the FamilyDrosophilidae.Two genera comes under this family, namelyDrosophila melanogasteror common fruit fly andDrosophila suzukiior Asian fruit fly. Common fruit fly is an important organism and widely used for genetic analysis in modern biology because it has only four pairs ofchromosomes. The presence of a fewer number of chromosome pairs in theirgenomemakes easier to understand the complex processes such astranscription and replicationin other eukaryotes. Moreover, common fruit flies are the first organism used in genetic analysis in the world. Asian fruit fly is native to Southeast Asia. In this article we mainly focus the common fruit fly.

Male Fruit Fly

Male fruit flies have yellow-brown bodies with brick red distinguishable eyes. Males are smaller than females. Male fruit flies are easily identified by their color differences and certain characteristic features. However, certain features of males are less noticeable in newly emerged male flies. Sex combs are one of the best characteristic features found on the forelegs of male fruit flies that are used to cling onto female flies while trying to mate. In addition, males also have hairs called claspers around the reproduction parts that help to attach to a female during the copulation period.

Female Fruit Fly

The overall body colors of female and male fruit flies are similar. However, females are quite larger than male flies. Female flies are ready to court with males after about 8-12 hours from their emergence. It takes around 15-20 minutes to complete the copulation. Females can lay about 400 eggs, and they lay eggs on rotting fruits and decaying mushrooms. The size of an egg is about 0.5 mm long . Once female fly lays eggs, it takes usually 12-15 hours to hatch them.

Differences between Male and Female Fruit Fly

• Male fruit flies are smaller than female fruit flies.

• The last two segments of the abdomen of male fruit fly are darker than that of females.

• Male fruit flies have smaller abdomen than female flies.

• The bottom end of male abdomen is rounded whereas that of a female is pointed.

• Sex combs are only present on the forelegs of male flies.

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