Drosophila falleni
In 3 days ~10%
Drosophila falleni is a species of fly found in northeastern North America. A mycophagous insect, it is known to feed on the fruit bodies (mushrooms) of several genera of fungi, including Agaricus, Amanita, Agrocybe, Boletus, Cortinarius, Pluteus Grifola, Polyporus, Hypholoma, Russula, Mycena, Stropharia, and Xerula. The fly can be infested by the parasitic nematode Howardula aoronymphium, which enters the fly larvae when it is feeding on mushrooms.
Drosophila falleni are attracted to mushroom sites by cuing in on specific odourants that are common in rotting mushrooms. However the odourants that attract D. falleni to mushrooms are different from the odours that attract its nematode parasite Howardula aoronymphium. Infection by H. aoronymphium alters D. falleni olfactory preferences, causing infected flies to become more averse to acetate-containing compounds such as ethyl acetate or propyl acetate. Conversely, infected flies become more attracted to 1-nonanol.
The genome of D. falleni was sequenced in 2019 as part of a study on the evolution of immune systems. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Drosophila falleni sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1649th most-seen of the 1807 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Drosophila falleni in Washington on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Only Washington, in our data
Washington is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Drosophila falleni sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Drosophila falleni is recorded against all the insects logged in Washington (9 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
