Drosophila Species Scaptodrosophila aclinata
Summary
Scaptodrosophila aclinata is a member of the Scaptodrosophila genus. This species is closely related to S. hibisci and both have been recorded breeding in flowers of Hibiscus species. Both Scaptodrosophila species show an apparently strict host-plant association with endemic Hibiscus species of the section Furcaria, but each uses a range of different Hibiscus species.
Scaptodrosophila aclinata has recently been discovered in the Northern Territory of Australia and was described in 2001. Scaptodrosophila aclinata has been reported on five Hibiscus species in eastern Australia. The distribution of S. aclinata is narrower than that of S. hibiscus, but for both species, local population sizes may vary by orders of magnitude, as the breeding habitat at a locality varies from just one or two to hundreds of plants.
Similar to S. hibisci, S. aclinata can be reared in the laboratory on cultured plants. Little is known about this species.