Abstract
AbstractIn the genusDrosophila(Diptera: Drosophilidae), interspecific hybridization is a rare phenomenon. However, recent evidence suggests a certain degree of introgression between the cactophilic siblingsDrosophila buzzatiiPatterson & Wheeler andDrosophila koepferaeFontdevila & Wasserman. In this article, we analyzed larval viability and developmental time of hybrids between males ofD. buzzatiiand females ofD. koepferae, raised in media prepared with fermenting tissues of natural host plants that these species utilize in nature as breeding sites. In all cases, developmental time and larval viability in hybrids was not significantly different from parental lines and, depending on the cross, hybrids developed faster than both parental species or than the slowest species. When data of wing length were included in a discriminant function analysis, we observed that both species can be clearly differentiated, while hybrids fell in two categories, one intermediate between parental species and the other consisting of extreme phenotypes. Thus, our results point out that hybrid fitness, as measured by developmental time and viability, is not lower than in the parental species.
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