Summary

Scaptodrosophila hibisci is a member of the Scaptodrosophila genus. Scaptodorosophila hibisci is closely related to S. aclinata 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 hibisci has been found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. In Australia, D. hibisci has been reported on 11 Hibiscus species in the Northern Territory. The distribution of S. hibisci is broader than that of S. aclinata, 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.

With its widespread distribution in eastern Australia, and utilization of a number of Hibiscus species as breeding sites, S. hibisci can be reared in the laboratory on cultured plants. It has been used as a model in a few ecological and evolutionary studies related to population genetics, quantitative genetic analyses and reproductive biology.

Related entries