Sexual selection, sexual isolation and the evolution of song in the Drosophila repleta group of species

Abstract

The evolution of male courtship song pattern in fruit flies of the repleta group within the genus Drosophila is described. We suggest that the archetypal song was composed of two distinct components, an ‘A’ song with short, regular pulse trains which occurred at the beginning of courtship, and a ‘B’ song consisting of longer pulse trains of more widely spaced pulses occurring later in courtship. During evolution of the repleta group some species have lost the A song, others the B song and, in many species, the latter has become less regular and more complex in form. A songs appear to be involved primarily in species recognition and have been subject to stabilizing selection while the B songs sexually stimulate females and have therefore evolved rapidly through the action of sexual selection. Other factors influencing the evolution of song patterns have been certain physiological and energetic constraints.