1. Drosophila
is found on rotting fermenting fruit such as bananas, grapes, plums almost in
every part of the world during the warmer season.
2. It
is easy to raise in the laboratory, since it has simple food requirements, i.e.
mashed banana or other fruits. It takes little space like ordinary glass jars.
It eats yeast that grows on mashed banana. Drosophila can complete its life
cycle in 10 to 12 days at room temperature. It produces a large number of
offspring.
3. Drosophila
can be anesthetized readily for examination and storing. Drosophila has many
types of heredity variations that can be recognized with low-power
magnification.
4. Male
and female Drosophila are morphologically distinct from each other. Male is
smaller in size with black rounded abdomen. Female is larger with pointed
abdomen. Male has comb on front legs.
5. Drosophila
has only four pairs of chromosomes, which are distinguishable and easy to
study.
6. The
cells of its salivary glands are large and contain giant, banded chromosomes
that serve to locate the position of particular gene.
7. Much
research and study of the genetics of Drosophila over the last 80 years have
resulted in a wealth of reference literature and a knowledge of location of hundreds
of genes and has large number of distinct contrasting trait:
