Drosophila (subgenus)
Drosophila is a paraphyletic subgenus of the genus "Drosophila", a classification of fruit flies. This subgenus was first described by Alfred Sturtevant in 1939. Members of the subgenus Drosophila can be distinguished from other Drosophilid species by breaks in the pigmentation along the dorsal section of their abdomen. Phylogeny. Most species are within three major groups, the "virilis-repleta" radiation, the "immigrans-tripunctata" radiation and the Hawaiian Drosophila. Additionally, several smaller species groups are recognized consisting of smaller numbers of species, like the "tumiditarsus" species group and the "polychaeta" species group.