The ''Drosophila saltans'' species group contains 21 described

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, all of which are found in the

neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

region. It is one of the seven

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

s in the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

Sophophora The paraphyletic subgenus ''Sophophora'' of the genus ''Drosophila'' was first described by Alfred Sturtevant in 1939. It contains the best-known drosophilid species, ''Drosophila melanogaster''. ''Sophophora'' translates as carrier (''phora'') ...

'', the others being the '' D. willistoni'', ''

D. melanogaster ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly" or "pomace fly". Starting with Ch ...

'', '' D. obscura'', ''D. dispar'', ''D. fima'', and ''D. dentissima'' groups. The ''D. saltans'' species group is most closely related to the ''D. willistoni'' subgroup. The species are placed into five subgroups: the ''D. s. cordata'', ''D. s. elliptica'', ''D. s. parasaltans'', ''D. s. saltans'', and ''D. s. sturtevanti'' subgroups. It is thought that, like the ''D. willistoni'' species group, the ''D. saltans'' species group originated in tropical North America, colonized South America, and then diversified prior to the formation of the

Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...

. Some of these may have migrated back to North America within the last 4.5

million years ago The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds. Usage Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago). ...

(mya), and consequently the relationship between the species is unresolved due to the short amount of time that has elapsed since their divergence points.

Species

*''D. s. cordata'' subgroup **''

Drosophila neocordata ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'' *''D. s. elliptica'' subgroup **''

Drosophila emarginata ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'' **''

Drosophila neoelliptica ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'' *''D. s. parasaltans'' subgroup **''

Drosophila subsaltans ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'' *''D. s. saltans'' subgroup **''

Drosophila austrosaltans ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'' **''

Drosophila lusaltans ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'' **''

Drosophila prosaltans ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'' **''

Drosophila saltans ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'' *''D. s. sturtevanti'' subgroup **''

Drosophila milleri ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'' **'' Drosophila sturtevanti''

References

saltans species group Insect species groups {{Drosophilidae-stub