Drosophila melanogaster: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the drosophila melanogaster lives – recorded in 28 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Drosophila melanogaster
Group	Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects
Found in	28 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Insect
Order	Diptera
Family	Drosophilidae

Where does the drosophila melanogaster live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the drosophila melanogaster in 28 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. In Brazil, Costa Rica, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Sweden it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the drosophila melanogaster?

The drosophila melanogaster (Drosophila melanogaster) is an insect in the order Diptera and the family Drosophilidae, genus Drosophila. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster is a species of fly (an insect of the order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly", "pomace fly", or "banana fly". D. melanogaster is attracted to rotting fruit and fermenting beverages and is often found in orchards, kitchens, and pubs.

Starting with Charles W. Woodworth's 1901 proposal of the use of this species as a model organism, D. melanogaster continues to be widely used for biological research in genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and life history evolution. In 1947 D. melanogaster was the first animal to be launched into space. As of 2017, six Nobel Prizes have been awarded to drosophilists for their work using the insect.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Drosophila melanogaster (revision 1381129731), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q130888 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).