The Autumn Flush of Drosophila (Diptera) (original) (raw)

Nature volume 172, pages 1155–1156 (1953) Cite this article

Abstract

DURING routine trapping with apple bait in two mainly deciduous woods at Liberton, near Edinburgh in 1950, a sudden large increase in numbers of adult Drosophila was caught early in November. Two traps on the ground and exposed during October 31–November 7, 1950, gave the usual few adults, namely, 52 (38 D. subobscura, 7 D. obscura, 1♂ D. silvestris n.sp., 1♀ D. tristis, 2 D. phalerata, 3 D. funebris), whereas the two replacements exposed November 7–14, 1950, caught 970 Drosophila (867_D. subobscura_, 56 D. obscura, 5♀ D. silvestris, 25 D. tristis, 2 D. ambigua, 5 D. phalerata, 9 D. funebris, 1♀ D. cameraria) (sex signs are given when only one sex occurred). The increase was obviously due mainly to one species, D. subobscura. Similar large numbers were obtained at other sites at the same time. When next exposed, December 6–12, 1950, there were 416 Drosophila in the two traps (320 of the 325 examined being D. subobscura). Trapping continued until January 24, 1951, and again from February 7, 1951; but up to February 22 flies were very few or absent, doubtless because the temperature remained mostly below 40° F. (4.4° C.), the approximate threshold temperature of activity for D. subobscura, the hardiest species. During the period February 22–March 1, 1951, however, the two traps caught 309 flies (298 D. subobscura, 3♂ D. obscura, 7 D. cameraria and 1♂ Parascaptomyza disticha), and large numbers again occurred during March 1–3, 1951 (261 D. subobscura, 1♂ D. obscura, 2♂ D. tristis and 4 D. cameraria).

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  1. Institute of Animal Genetics, Edinburgh, 9
    E. B. BASDEN

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BASDEN, E. The Autumn Flush of Drosophila (Diptera).Nature 172, 1155–1156 (1953). https://doi.org/10.1038/1721155b0

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