Phylogeny of a paradigm lineage: the Drosophila melanogaster species group (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Although Drosophila melanogaster is a paradigm eukaryote for biology, relationships of this species and the other 174 species in the melanogaster species group are poorly explored and ambiguous. Gene regions of Cytochrome oxidase II (mt:CoII), Alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) and hunchback (hb) were sequenced and analysed phylogenetically to test prior hypotheses of relationships for the group based on chromosomes, morphology, and 28S rRNA gene sequences. A simultaneous cladistic analysis of the three newly sequenced gene regions produced a single well-resolved phylogeny for 49 exemplar species representing eight subgroups. Monophyly of each of the ananassae, melanogaster, montium, and takahashii subgroups is supported; the suzukii subgroup is polyphyletic. This phylogeny is consistent with variation in significant morphological structures, such as the male sex comb on the fore tarsus. The broad range of morphological variation among these species is interpreted and the applicability to evolution and developmental investigations is discussed. This phylogeny facilitates comparative investigations, such as gene family evolution, transposable element transmission, and evolution of morphological structures.