Inheritance patterns of new genetic markers and occurrence of spontaneous mosaicism in the monogenic blowfly Chrysomya rufifacies(Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Abstract

 Four new genetic markers for Chrysomya rufifacies, a fly with maternal sex determination, were characterized. The markers include one body colour mutant, black body (bl), and three eye colour mutants, brown eye (br), apricot eye (ap), and red eye (w ^r). Two of the latter, br and w ^r, turn out to be sex linked, the others behave as autosomal genes belonging to different linkage groups. w ^r is a hypomorphic and w an apomorphic mutation of the white gene, w/w is epistatic to br/br and to ap/ap. A preliminary genetic linkage map with the sex realizer F′/f  and the loci br and w residing in homomorphic sex chromosomes is established. Evidence is presented that crossing over is absent in the male sex. The possible causes of the spontaneous appearance of mosaics for eye colour observed among individuals heterozygous for recessive genes are discussed.