Neha Patil (Editor)

Sophophora

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Subfamily
  
Drosophilinae

Phylum
  
Arthropoda

Order
  
Fly

Family
  
Drosophilidae

Higher classification
  
Fruit flies

Rank
  
Subgenus

Similar
  
Common fruit fly, Fruit flies, Fly, Drosophilidae, Drosophila willistoni

The paraphyletic subgenus Sophophora of the genus Drosophila was first described by Alfred Sturtevant in 1939. It contains the best-known drosophilid species, Drosophila melanogaster. Sophophora translates as carrier (phora) of wisdom (sophos). The subgenus is paraphyletic because the genus Lordiphosa and the species Hirtodrosophila duncani are also placed within this subgenus.

Phylogeny

Currently, 10 species groups are recognized, in two main groups, the New World and the Old World

Old World:

  • melanogaster species group (65 species, including D. melanogaster and D. simulans)
  • montium species group (88)
  • ananassae species group (24)
  • obscura species group (44)
  • dentissima species group (17)
  • fima species group (23)
  • dispar species group (2)
  • settifemur species group (2)

    • New World:

  • saltans species group (21)
  • willistoni species group (23)

    • Unknown:

  • populi species group (2)

    • References

    Sophophora Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA