Oviposition preference for spherical surfaces is shared among multiple Drosophila species except D. melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Abstract

Oviposition preference for spherical substrates has been reported in some insects but not in Drosophila species until the recent finding that Drosophila suzukii preferentially lays eggs on spherical surfaces with a smaller radius, whereas D. melanogaster does not. This finding raised two questions: (i) Was this trait specifically acquired in D. suzukii or lost in D. melanogaster? (ii) In the latter case, is it due to the long-term laboratory culture using oviposition substrates with flat surfaces? To answer these questions, we examined the oviposition preference of three Drosophila species using the stocks recently established from wild individuals. As with D. suzukii, D. simulans and D. takahashii showed significant preference for spherical surfaces with a smaller radius, suggesting that this trait is shared by multiple Drosophila species. In contrast, D. melanogaster did not show any preference for either smaller or larger radii, showing that the preference already has been lost in the natural population of D. melanogaster. It may be possible that the loss of oviposition preference for spherical surfaces is involved in the evolutionary process of D. melanogaster becoming a human commensal.