#drosphila blueskyers, can anyone help ID new fly line in the lab? I think virilis, but unsure. Males with double sex combs. Collected in North Wales. @darrenobbard.bsky.social - ThreadSky

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aaronc-research.bsky.social • 192 days ago

#drosphila blueskyers, can anyone help ID new fly line in the lab? I think virilis, but unsure. Males with double sex combs. Collected in North Wales. @darrenobbard.bsky.social

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darrenobbard.bsky.social•192 days ago

Virilis group don't have classical sex combs like this (Only subgenus Sophophora). These are obscura group. I would have initially said obscura itself, but the testes look too orange (not pink enough) - It may be that they are too teneral?

darrenobbard.bsky.social•192 days ago

They are not Dsub, Dsus, Dtri, or Dhel. On balance I would suggest not Dobs - which leaves only Drosophila ambigua! My memory is that ambigua does have very orange testes - but I think ambigua or obscura are equally possible from these photos.

darrenobbard.bsky.social•192 days ago

(bifasciata may occur int eh UK, but I have not knowingly seen it)

aaronc-research.bsky.social•192 days ago

So we need sequences ;)

darrenobbard.bsky.social•192 days ago

I think the key from Baechli, or the UK obs-group one from Dyson-Hudson will do - if you have several adult specimens of both sexes and they are a few days old!

aaronc-research.bsky.social•192 days ago

Excellent - thanks for this, I will track those down! Line is going strong, so plenty of adults to work with.

aaronc-research.bsky.social•192 days ago

Thanks! I'll have a look at some older ones and see if testes trend more pink. If pinkish, you'd go obscura? They are pretty big flies if that helps at all (near hydei size).

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