

Drosophila is a genus of small flies, belonging to the Drosophilidae family, whose members are often called "fruit flies", or, more adequately but less frequently, vinegar flies, in reference to the characteristic of many species of staying close of ripe or rotten fruit. They should not be confused with the Tephritidae, a related family, also sometimes called "true fruit flies"; Tephritids feed primarily on ripening fruit, and many species are considered pests for agriculture, especially the Mediterranean fruit fly.
One species of Drosophila in particular, D. melanogaster, has been used extensively in genetics and is a model organism in developmental biology. In fact, the terms fruit fly and Drosophila are used as synonyms for D. melanogaster in modern biological literature. However, the entire genus contains more than 1,500 species1 and is very diverse in appearance, behavior and habitat.
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