Drosophila

Drosophila is a genus of small flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae They are often called called fruit flies, vinegar flies or wine flies. Many species linger around overripe or rotting fruit.
There are many species in this genus, and the genus is split down into sub-genera. The adults may feed on nectar, and may lay their eggs on or near decaying fruit. The details differ greatly from species to species.
Species.
Their distribution is world-wide. In Britain alone more than 5000 species have been recorded. The largest number of species is in the Hawaiian Islands.
Several species of "Drosophila" (in particular, "D. melanogaster") were used in genetics research. It is a common model organism in developmental biology. The genus has more than 1,500 species, and has varied appearance, behaviour, and breeding habitats. Other species which have been widely investigated include "D. pseudoobscura" (used by Dobzhansky in field research) and "D. subobscura", used in the UK as a laboratory "Drosophila".
Sturtevant at one time had 42 species of "Drosophila" in his lab for examination.
Life cycle.
"Drosophila" vary widely in their reproductive capacity. Those such as "D. melanogaster" that breed in large, scarce resources have ovaries that mature 10–20 eggs at a time, and can be laid together in one place. Others, which breed in common but less nutritious places (such as leaves), may only lay one egg each day.
The eggs have one or more respiratory filaments near the front end; the tips of these extend above the surface and allow oxygen to reach the embryo. Larvae feed not on vegetable matter but on the yeasts and microorganisms present on the decaying surface of leaves or fruits. Development time varies widely between species (between seven and more than 60 days) and depends on factors such as temperature, breeding substrate, and crowding.
Related genera.
"Drosophila" has a number of close relatives, and some may actually be within its genus.