Australian Endemic Drosophila. VII. Lord Howe Island, With Description of a New Species of the Coracina Group.

Abstract

The Drosophila fauna of Lord Howe I. is depauperate compared with that of equivalent mainland latitudes, consisting only of the two cosmopolitan species D. immigrans and D. simulans, the widespread species D. serrata, and a new species of the subgenus Scaptodrosophila here described as D. howensis. The last species belongs to the coracina species-group, all members of which are attracted to baits. The coracina group is widespread in Australia, and holds particular promise for future genetic and evolutionary studies. Species of this group, unlike most members of the subgenus Scaptodrosophila, are amenable to laboratory culture by special techniques.