Skip to main content

Drosophilidae

Pronunciation:  [Droh·so·FILL·i⋅dae]

Common Name:  Vinegar Flies; Pomace Flies; Fruit Flies

Description:   Small flies usually with a yellowish body and red eyes.    This family includes the “fruit fly” often used by geneticists.   Adults and larvae are usually found around fruit or decaying vegetation.

drosophilid01

Spot ID Key Characters:

  1. Simple wing venation – only five longitudinal veins reach the wing margin
  2. Subcostal vein is incomplete
  3. Anal cell is is small or absent
  4. Red eyes
  5. Arista of antenna is plumose

Return To:

Order:  Diptera