How different are recently diverged species? More than 150 phenotypic differences have been reported for the D. melanogaster species subgroup.

Abstract

The nine species of the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup are currently one of the best systems for studying the genetic basis of species differences and speciation. However, despite the availability of complete genome sequences from most of these species, no comprehensive accounting of their phenotypic differences has been made. We gathered data from about 200 papers published between 1919 and 2008 that report phenotypic differences between species of the D. melanogaster species subgroup and we compiled 163 morphological, physiological and behavioral traits that differ between at least two species of the D. melanogaster subgroup. Our compilation is available online at www.normalesup.org/~vorgogoz/FlyPhenomics. The FlyPhenomics database provides a useful starting point for Drosophila researchers who aim to identify the mutations underlying phenotypic variation.