Drosophila musaphilia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Drosophila musaphilia |
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Drosophila musaphilia is a very special and rare type of fly. It lives only on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. This tiny fly is an endangered species, which means it's in danger of disappearing forever. The last time anyone saw this fly was way back in 1988. It belongs to a large group of flies called Hawaiian Drosophilidae, which are unique to Hawaii.
What is Drosophila musaphilia?
This fly was first described in 1965 by a scientist named D. Elmo Hardy. Its name, musaphilia, means "banana-loving". That's because these flies, like many other "picture-wing" flies, really love the smell of rotting bananas! They are part of a group called the hawaiiensis subgroup.
These flies are mostly black. They have soft gray hairs on their bodies, especially on their middle section (called the thorax). Their wings have cool patterns, with a stripe of spots in the middle and at the tip. These patterns are similar to other flies in their family.
Female D. musaphilia flies have a very long ovipositor. An ovipositor is a special tube used to lay eggs. Their ovipositor is over 1 millimeter long! This is one of the longest among Hawaiian Drosophila flies. Only D. orphnopeza has a longer one. Scientists believe these flies lay their eggs in a gooey sap that oozes from koa trees (Acacia koa). This sap is called "slime flux".
Why is Drosophila musaphilia endangered?
Drosophila musaphilia was officially listed as an endangered species in 2006. Ten other types of picture-wing Drosophila flies were also listed at the same time. The main reason these flies are in danger is because they are losing their homes.
Many things threaten their habitat:
- Invasive Animals: Wild pigs and goats that are not native to Hawaii cause damage. They eat plants and disturb the soil.
- Invasive Plants: Plants like strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum) are also a big problem. These plants are not from Hawaii. They grow very fast and take over the space where native plants should be. This means less light and nutrients for the native plants.
- Threats to Koa Trees: The koa tree (Acacia koa) is very important for D. musaphilia. It's where they lay their eggs. But these trees are being eaten by non-native black-tailed deer.
Other invasive plants like Lantana camara, Melinis minutiflora, and Rubus argutus also harm the Hawaiian ecosystem. Some, like Melinis minutiflora, are very flammable. They can cause forest fires to spread quickly. These problems are especially bad for D. musaphilia. This is because the rotting sap they need to breed is already quite rare.
