Abstract
Wild-type pairs ofDrosophila subobscura do not mate in darkness and males do not produce a courtship song, suggesting that visual signals are instrumental in finding the mating partner and in distinguishing it from members of other species. Among pairs of a strain selected for light independence, 28% mate in the dark. Results of intraspecific matings and of interspecific matings withD. pseudoobscura andD. persimilis suggest some reduction in activity level as a consequence of selection for mating in the dark. This is supported by direct observation of courtship behavior in both white and red light. In the light-independent strain courtship is less lively, mating speed is reduced, and certain elements of courtship are omitted. To determine which senses contribute in bothD. subobscura strains to successful courtship, organs that carry various sensory receptors were amputated. Results suggest that the sensory pattern in courtship has changed during selection for light independence, mainly by substituting tactile and olfactory for optical signals.
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Ripfel, J., Becker, J. Light-dependent mating ofDrosophila subobscura and species discrimination. Behav Genet 12, 241–260 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067846
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067846