Tag Archives: Drosophila

Drosophila musaphilia Hardy

Kauai Koa Picturewing Fly (Drosophila musaphilia)

The Kauai Koa Picturewing Fly is, or maybe was, endemic to the island of Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands, it was last seen in 1988 and might now be extinct.

There is, however, a slight chance that this species inhabits areas on Kaua’i that haven’t been properly observed yet.

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edited: 23.04.2022

Drosophila toxochaeta Perreira & Kaneshira

Olona Picturewing Fly (Drosophila toxochaeta)

The Olona Picturewing Fly was described in 1990.

The species is known from three (?) specimens that were collected in 1972 and 1973 in the wet forest on the island of Moloka’i, Hawaiian Islands; two two of them had been reared from the stems of the Hawaiian endemic nettle shrub Olona (Touchardia latifolia Gaudich.). [1]

The Olona Picturewing Fly was not seen alive since the 1970s and is thus considered most likely extinct.

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References:

[1] William D. Perreira; Kenneth Y. Kaneshiro: Three new species of picture-winged Drosophila from the Hawaiian Islands. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 30: 79-84. 1990

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edited: 24.04.2019