Welcome to
the World of
Fruit Fly
Genetics
This is a *female* fruit fly
Notice the tiger-striped abdomen and the
simple tag-like tip on the abdomen.
The tip at the end of the female abdomen is the excretory opening.
Just proximal to this opening is the female genital opening.
Female
Genitalia
This is a mature male fruit fly
Mature males have a prominent black abdominal end.
Males also have tiny “sex combs” on their front pair of legs.
Here’s a close up of the male genital region.
Notice the metallic sheen of the genitals.
One male and one female
Find their distinguishing features.
Ventral view of a male and female
Find their distinguishing features
Female laying
an egg
Notice the relatively
larger size and
lighter pigmentation
of the
virgin female as
compared with the
mature female
Tiny fly eggs hatch
into tiny worm-like
larvae. The larvae eat
and grow in length
and girth. The
maximum size
of the larval stage is
called
the third instar.
This larval stage
becomes a pupa.
Mouth
Anus
This is a third instar larva
prior to pupation
Larva to Pupa
Stages
Larvae are mobile
Pupal
stages
With the onset of pupation the worm-like larva contracts and a
parchment-like pupa case hardens around the metamorphosing fly.
Fly metamorphosis in pupa
When the fly emerges from the
pupal case the wings are still
wet and folded.
When flies are newly hatched
their wings are still damp
and folded.
Is this a male
or a female?
This is a male.
Pigmentation has not developed.