Sophophora

The paraphyletic subgenus Sophophora of the genus Drosophila was first described by Alfred Sturtevant in 1939.[1] It contains the best-known drosophilid species, Drosophila melanogaster. Sophophora translates as carrier (phora) of wisdom (sophos). The subgenus is paraphyletic because the genus Lordiphosa[2][3] and the species Hirtodrosophila duncani[4][5] are also placed within this subgenus.

Sophophora
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Drosophilidae
Subfamily:	Drosophilinae
Genus:	Drosophila
Subgenus:	Sophophora Sturtevant, 1939
Type species
Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, 1830
species groups
ananassae dentissima dispar fima melanogaster montium obscura populi saltans setifemus willistoni

Phylogeny

Sophophora Old World        melanogaster species  group      montium species group          ananassae species group      fima species group          obscura species group     New World      willistoni species group      saltans species group        Lordiphosa      Hirtodrosophila duncani

Currently, 10 species groups are recognized, in two main groups, the New World and the Old World[5][6][7]

Old World:

• melanogaster species group (65 species, including D. melanogaster and D. simulans)
• montium species group (88)
• ananassae species group (24)
• obscura species group (44)
• dentissima species group (17)
• fima species group (23)
• dispar species group (2)
• settifemur species group (2)

New World:

• saltans species group (21)
• willistoni species group (23)

Unknown:

• populi species group (2)

References

1. Sturtevant, A. H. (1939). On the subdivision of the genus Drosophila. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 25, 137–141.
2. Katoh, T., Tamura, K. & Aotsuka, T. (2000). Phylogenetic position of the subgenus Lordiphosa of the genus Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) inferred from alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) gene sequences. Journal of Molecular Evolution 51, 122–130.
3. Hu, Y.-G. & Toda, M. J. (2001). Polyphyly of Lordiphosa and its relationships in Drosophilinae (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Systematic Entomology 26, 15–31.
4. O'Grady, P. & DeSalle, R. (2008). Out of Hawaii: the origin and biogeography of the genus Scaptomyza (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Biology Letters 4, 195-199.
5. van der Linde, K., Houle, D., Spicer, G. S. & Steppan, S. J. (2010). A supermatrix-based molecular phylogeny of the family Drosophilidae. Genetics Research 92, 25-38.
6. Bächli, G. (1999-2010). TaxoDros: The Database on Taxonomy of Drosophilidae. Available at "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-02-09. Retrieved 2006-02-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. Da Lage, J.-L., Kergoat, G. J., Maczkowiak, F., Silvain, J.-F., Cariou, M.-L. & Lachaise, D. (2007). A phylogeny of Drosophilidae using the Amyrel gene: questioning the Drosophila melanogaster species group boundaries. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 45, 47–63.