Genus Genus Scaptodrosophila
Summary
The genus Scaptodrosophila belongs to the family Drosophilidae. This genus probably originated in tropical Asia, and the greatest Scaptodrosophila fauna occurs in Asia, south-east Asia, New Guinea, Australia and Africa, with very few species in north and South America and Europe.
Scaptodrosophila is a fascinating genus that has undergone a large radiation in Australia, with over half of the roughly 400 species in this genus endemic to Australiasia. Little phylogenetic work has been done on Scaptodrosophila so the lineages within this large radiation are uncertain at this point.
Ecological information concerning the majority of Scaptodrosophila species is scant or absent, but known feeding or breeding sites include tree sap, fungi, fruit, flowers, and larvae of at least one species are gall forming in plant tissues. Scaptodrosophila species have, in most cases, unknown resource requirements and are difficult to rear in the laboratory.