Biodiversity Ib
Katoh Lab

Phylogeny of Drosophilidae (Diptera)

Drosophilid flies are extensively studied organisms in biological science. Since Drosophila melanogaster was used as a material for genetic studies, these flies have been used as model organisms in various fields, including genetics, ecology, behavior, development, and so on. Taxonomically, these flies belong to the family Drosophilidae. The family Drosophilidae is a large group of muscomorphan Diptera, including over 4000 described species. These species are widely distributed around the world, ranging from the tropics to the temperate zones. Furthermore, their breeding sites are also diverse; plant leaves, fungi, sap fluxes of trees, fruits, and flowers. To date, a large amount of knowledge has been accumulated for the biology of Drosophilidae. Nevertheless, the evolutionary history of Drosophilidae, which should provide a basis for the various studies using drosophilid flies, has not well been understood. In order to explore this problem, we study on the phylogeny and evolution of drosophilid species that have not yet been focused by other studies.

Press Release

• Hawaiian fruit flies had multiple ancestors

Related Publications

• Zhang Y, Toda MJ, Watabe H, Katoh T (2024) Alpha-amanitin tolerance of adult flies of mycophagous and non-mycophagous species in Drosophilidae. Entomological Science 27: e12577.
• Kim BY, Gellert HR, Church SH, Suvorov A, Anderson SS, Barmina O, Beskid SG, Comeault AA, Crown KN, Diamond SE, Dorus SD, Fujichika T, Hemker JA, Hrcek J, Kankare M, Katoh T, Magnacca KN, Martin RA, Matsunag T, Medeiros MJ, Miller DE, Pitnick S, Schiffer M, Simoni S, Steenwinkel TE, Syed ZA, Takahashi A, Wei KHC, Yokoyama T, Eisen MB, Kopp A, Matute D, Obbard DJ, O'Grady PM, Price DK, Toda MJ, Werner T, Petrov DA (2024) Single-fly genome assemblies fill major phylogenomic gaps across the Drosophilidae Tree of Life. PLOS Biology 22: e3002697.
• Finet C, Kassner VA, Carvalho AB, Chung H, Day JP, Day S, Delaney EK, De Ré FC, Dufour HD, Dupim E, Izumitani HF, Gautério TB, Justen J, Katoh T, Kopp A, Koshikawa S, Longdon B, Loreto EL, Nunes MDS, Raja KKB, Rebeiz M, Ritchie MG, Saakyan G, Sneddon T, Teramoto M. Tyukmaeva V, Vanderlinde T, Wey EE, Werner T, Williams TM, Robe LJ, Toda MJ, Marlétaz F (2021) DrosoPhyla: resources for drosophilid phylogeny and systematics. Genome Biology and Evolution 13: evab179.
• Liang H, Katoh T, Sato K, Yamamoto D, Wen S (2021) Evolution of a neuromuscular sexual dimorphism in the Drosophila montium species group. Scientific Reports 11: 15272.
• Zhang Y, Katoh TK, Finet C, Izumitani HF, Toda MJ, Watabe H, Katoh T (2021) Phylogeny and evolution of mycophagy in the Zygothrica genus group (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 163: 107257.
• Toda MJ, Banziger H, Sati PC, Rajendra FS, Suwito A, Katoh T (2020) Taxonomy and evolution of asymmetric male genitalia in the subgenus Ashima Chen (Diptera: Drosophilidae: Phortica Schiner), with descriptions of seven new species. Zootaxa 4789:1-54.
• Chen AL, Chen CC, Katoh T, Katoh TK, Watada M, Toda MJ, Ritchie MG, Wen SY (2019) Evolution and diversity of the courtship repertoire in the Drosophila montium species group (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology doi:10.1111/jeb.13515.
• Katoh T, Izumitani HF, Yamashita S, Watada M (2017) Multiple origins of Hawaiian drosophilids: phylogeography of Scaptomyza Hardy (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Entomological Science 20: 33-44.
• Izumitani HF, Kusaka Y, Koshiikawa S, Toda MJ, Katoh T (2016) Phylogeography of the subgenus Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae): Evolutionary history of faunal divergence between the Old and the New Worlds. PLoS ONE 11: e0160051.
• Fartyal RS, Gao JJ, Toda MJ, Hu YG, Takano KT, Suwito A, Katoh T, Takigahira T, Yin JT (2013) Colocasiomyia (Diptera: Drosophilidae) revised phylogenetically, with a new species group having peculiar lifecycles on monsteroid (Araceae) host plants. Systematic Entomology 38: 763-782.
• Katoh T (2011) Progress and prospects of the molecular phylogenetic studies of Drosophilidae. Low Temperature Science 69: 1-9. (In Japanese)
• Gao JJ, Hu YG, Toda MJ, Katoh T, Tamura K (2011) Phylogenetic relationships between Sophophora and Lordiphosa, with proposition of a hypothesis on the vicariant divergences of tropical lineages between the Old and New Worlds in the family Drosophilidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 60: 98-107.
• van der Linde K, Bächli G, Toda MJ, Zhang WX, Katoh T, Hu YG, Spicer GS (2008) Comment on the proposed conservation of the usage of the generic name of Drosophila Fallén, 1823 (Insecta, Diptera). Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 65: 304-307.
• van der Linde K, Bächli G, Toda MJ, Zhang WX, Katoh T, Hu YG, Spicer GS (2007) Case 3407: Genus Drosophila Fallén (Insecta, Diptera): proposed conservation of usage. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 64: 238-242.
• Katoh T, Nakaya D, Tamura K, Aotsuka T (2007) Phylogeny of the Drosophila immigrans species group (Diptera: Drosophilidae) based on Adh and Gpdh sequences. Zoological Science 24: 913-921.
• Katoh T, Tamura K, Aotsuka T (2000) Phylogenetic position of the subgenus Lordiphosa of the genus Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) inferred from alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) gene sequences. Journal of Molecular Evolution 51: 122-130.