THE ANIMAL FILES

Lesser fruit fly

Drosophila melanogaster

One pair of wings, with a second pair transformed.

The lesser fruit fly has compound eyes, small balancing organs behind its wings and a life cycle that passes through larva and pupa. The yellow-brown, red-eyed wild type is also widely studied in laboratories.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Lesser fruit fly
Image: André Karwath aka Aka · Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5
Flight
One functional wing pair and halteres[1]
Development
Egg, larva, pupa and adult[1]
Wild-type appearance
Yellow-brown body and red eyes[1]

The missing wings are not simply gone

Behind the main wings are small knob-like halteres, modified hindwings that help balance and orientation. The main wings and halteres perform different jobs while both originate as wing structures.[1]

A life with several body plans

Eggs develop into feeding larvae, followed by a pupal stage and then the winged adult. Temperature and crowding influence development, so a familiar laboratory timetable is not a universal biological clock. Observations should identify the stage and conditions before comparing how quickly different individuals grow.[1]

A compound view

The compound eyes contain many small units rather than one continuous human-like eye surface. Pigment and light-sensitive cells contribute to visual function. Spatial detail and the ability to respond to changes over time are different aspects of vision.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does a fly have only two flight-related appendages?

The large wings are only part of the picture. The smaller halteres are modified hindwings involved in balance.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why must temperature be recorded when comparing development time?

Reveal the explanation

Development changes with temperature. A difference in timing does not by itself demonstrate a genetic difference between the flies.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Drosophila melanogaster (adapted and translated; exact revision)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Drosophila melanogaster (identity and game lineage)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

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