Sophophora

The paraphyletic subgenus Sophophora of the genus Drosophila was first described by Alfred Sturtevant in 1939.^[1] It contains the best-known drosophilid species, Drosophila melanogaster. Sophophora translates as carrier (phora) of wisdom (sophos). The subgenus is paraphyletic because the genus Lordiphosa^[2][3] and the species Hirtodrosophila duncani^[4][5] are also placed within this subgenus.

Sophophora
A male Drosophila melanogaster fly
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Drosophilidae
Subfamily:	Drosophilinae
Genus:	Drosophila
Subgenus:	Sophophora Sturtevant, 1939
Type species
Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, 1830
Species groups
ananassae dentissima dispar fima melanogaster montium obscura populi saltans setifemus willistoni

small Drosophila melanogaster fly.

Phylogeny

Sophophora Old World melanogaster species group montium species group ananassae species group fima species group obscura species group New World willistoni species group saltans species group Lordiphosa Hirtodrosophila duncani

Currently, 10 species groups are recognized, in two main groups, the New World and the Old World^[5][6][7]

Old World:

• melanogaster species group (65 species, including D. melanogaster and D. simulans)
• montium species group (88)
• ananassae species group (24)
• obscura species group (44)
• dentissima species group (17)
• fima species group (23)
• dispar species group (2)
• settifemur species group (2)

New World:

• saltans species group (21)
• willistoni species group (23)

Unknown:

• populi species group (2)