Mather, Wharton B. (Wharton Burdett)

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A Third Race of Drosophila 
rubida 
Volume Ill 
by 
WHARTON B. MATHER 
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY 
Number 6 
.lJ7 . .,. 
A Third Race of Drosophila 
rubida 
by 
WHARTON B. MATHER, Ph.D. 
Head of the Genetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, 
University of Queensland 
Price: Twenty Cents 
University of Queensland Papers 
Department of Zoology 
Volume Ill Number 6 
UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND PRESS 
St. Lucia 
20 May 1968 
WHOLLY SET UP AND PRINTED IN AUSTRALIA BY 
WATSON FERGUSON AND COMPANY, BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND 
1968 
A THIRD RACE OF DROSOPHILA RUBIDA 
It has previously been shown (Mather, 1964a) that the immigrans group species, 
D. rubida Mather from Northern Queensland and Papua-New Guinea can be divided 
into two distinct races on the basis of both chromosome inversion differences and 
sexual isolation. Race A is found in Eastern New Guinea and Race B in New Britain. 
At Bulolo at some 2,500 feet, a third race, C, has now been discovered, which also has 
a distinct chromosome inversion pattern and is sexually isolated to various degrees 
from stocks obtained from a variety of localities in Northern Queensland and Papua­
New Guinea. This paper is a report on this new race and its relationship with Race A 
and Race B. 
Materials and methods 
As well as the stock from Bulolo the same stocks from Cairns, Port Moresby 
(Bisianumu), Lae, Madang, Rabaul, and Samarai that were used in the 1964 study 
have been employed. 
The methods used for sexual isolation tests (no choice) are given in Mather 
(1964a) and for sexual isolation tests (multiple choice) in Strickberger (1962). In the 
multiple-choice experiment each test was replicated three times and the isolation index 
(Stalker, 1942) worked out on pooled data. All flies used were aged from 10 to 15 
days. 
75 
76 WHARTON B. MATHER 
Results 
The results are set out in Table 1 from which it will be noted that in the no-choice 
tests wherever a Bul female is involved the isolation is higher than when a Bul male is 
used. In some cases the isolation is very high as where Madang, Rabaul, and Samarai 
males are used. From_ the results of the multiple-choice tests as summarized by the 
isolation index it will be noted that both sexes of the Bulolo stock are strongly isolated 
from Port Moresby, Cairns, Lae, and Samarai, but Bulolo males are weakly isolated 
from Madang females, and in the case of Rabaul females the isolation index is negative. 
TABLE 1 
Sexual isolation tests 
CROSS No CHOICE 
FEMALES NUMBER PERCENTAGE 
TESTED INSEMINATED INSEMINATED 
Bul cJ X Bis � 93 93 100 
Bul � X Bis cJ 84 67 80 
Bul<J x Cai� 83 83 100 
Bul � X Cai cJ 91 60 66 
Bul cJ x Lae � 70 60 86 
Bul � X Lae cJ 83 56 67 
Bul cJ X Mad� 97 89 92 
Bul � X Mad cJ 93 23 25 
Bul cJ X Rab � 42 42 100 
Bul � X Rab cJ 91 23 25 
Bul cJ x Sam '!' 83 76 91 
Bul � x Sam cJ 90 16 18 
*Isolation Index = % Homogamic - % Heterogamic matings % Homogamic + % Heterogamic matings 
MULTIPLE CHOICE 
FEMALES I *ISOLATION TESTED INDEX 
89 .90 
89 .84 
83 .78 
89 .92 
87 .95 
89 .87 
90 .33 
81 .85 
87 -.22 
87 1.00 
88 .92 
86 .90 
Thus considering no-choice and multiple-choice experiments together Bulolo 
flies are isolated from other strains at least in one sex but usually in both. In all 
crosses the F1 and F2 were produced except in the Bulolo X Rabaul crosses where we 
have failed to produce an F 2• 
Discussion 
Cairns and Rabaul are monomorphic for inversions except for the small simple 
IIID, whereas Bulolo, Port Moresby, Lae, and Samarai are polymorphic (Mather, 
1963a). 
In the case of Port Moresby and Bulolo detailed inversion analyses have been 
made. Thus, in Table 2 samples from Bulolo collected in August 1963 and February 
1964 (Mather, 1966b), and August 1963, 1964, and 1965 (Mather, 1967) are compared 
with samples from Bisianumu (Port Moresby) collected in October 1962, February 
1963, and May 1963 (Mather, 1964b) and May 1963, 1964, and 1965 (Mather, 1967). 
The inversions recorded are described in a number of papers (Mather, 1961, 1963b 
and c, 1966a). Inversions liB and I, D, G, and H have only recently been separated 
and are here grouped. 
Comparing these two stations we see that all the inversions at the two places have 
different non-overlapping ranges with the minor exceptions of IliA and B whose 
ranges overlap. Bulolo is higher for IILA, liRA, B, and D, IIID, E, H, I, and J and 
lower for IIRC and IliA and B. Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the Bulolo 
population is that it is virtually homozygous for the complex inversion IIRD. 
A THIRD RACE OF DROSOPHILA RUBIDA 77 
TABLE 2 
Inversion patterns 
PoRT MORESBY BuLoLo 
I 
CHROMOSOME RANGE RANGE 
PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE 
11 + 23 .5-49 .4 0 .0-1 .0 
LA 0 .0-3 .1 5 .2-16 .8 
RA 4 .9-10 .1 26 .3-44 .3 
B, I 10 .1-38 .2 41 .2-48 .1 
c 19 .1-3 4 .1 0 .0-1 .4 
D,G,H 25 .9-46 .1 98 .6-100 .0 
F 0 .0-1 .0 -
Ill + 51 .1-72 .2 27 .1-32 .4 
A 0 .6-5 .6 0 .0-1 .4 
B 1 .0-6 .7 0 .0-1 .4 
D 3 .9-9 .8 45 .8-53 .5 
E 22 .2-41.3 49 .6-54 .8 
F 1 .1-10 .3 0 .0-0 .3 
H 0 .0-1 .5 10 .8-13 .6 
I 0 .0-1 .1 14 .6-21.6 
J - 0 .0-0 .3 
Flies scored 633 843 
Thus when the samples from Bulolo are compared with those from Port Mores by, 
Cairns, and Rabaul strong sexual isolation is correlated with very marked inversion 
frequency differences, leading to the proposition that there is a third race (Race C) of 
D. rubida from Bulolo. 
Summary 
Both no-choice and multiple-choice sexual isolation tests between strains of 
D. rubida Mather from Bulolo, Port Moresby, Cairns, Rabaul, Madang, Lae, and 
Samarai together with extensive inversion frequency records from Bulolo and Port 
Moresby have led to the hypothesis that there is a third race (Race C) of D. rubida 
from the Bulolo area of New Guinea. 
Acknowledgments 
Acknowledgments are due to Miss Sheridan Butler for technical assistance. 
References 
Mather, W. B. (1961) . Chromosomal polymorphism in Drosophila rubida Mather. Genetics, Princeton 
46: 799-810 . 
Mather, W. B. (1963 a ) .  Patterns of chromosomal polymorphism in Drosophila rubida . Am. Nat . 97: 
59-63 . 
Mather, W. B. (1963b) . Notes on the inversions of Drosophila rubida . Drosoph . Inf Serv . 37: 104. 
Mather, W. B. (1963c) .  Further inversions in Drosophila rubida . Drosoph . Inf Serv . 38: 55. 
Mather, W. B. (1964a ) .  Speciation in Drosophila rubida . Evolution, Lancaster, Pa . 18: 10-11. 
Mather, W. B. (1964b ) .  Temporal variation in Drosophila rubida inversion polymorphism. Heredity, 
Land. 19: 331-34. 
Mather, W. B. (l966a ). New inversions in Drosophila rubida . Drosoph . Inf Serv. 41: 125-26. 
Mather, W. B. (1966b ) .  Drosophila rubida inversion polymorphism. Drosoph . Inf Serv . 41: 126-28. 
Mather, W. B. (1967) . Inter-yearly fluctuation of D. rubida inversion polymorphism. Drosoph . Inf 
Serv. 42: 85. 
Stalker, H. D. (1942) . Sexual isolation studies in the species complex Drosophila virilis . Genetics, 
Princeton 27: 238-57. 
Strickberger, M. W. (1962) . Experiments in genetics with Drosophila . London: Wiley. 
A SELECTION OF 
UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND PAPERS 
Available from the University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia 
Additions to the Drosophila Fauna of Australia, by Wharton B. Mather, 
Department of Zoology, vol. I, no. 9 30c 
D. pararubida: A New Species of Drosophila from New Guinea, by 
Wharton B. Mather, Department of Zoology, vol. I, no. 1 1  20c 
D. tetrachaeta: A New Species of Drosophila from New Guinea, by D. 
Angus, Department of Zoology, vol. 11, no. 8 10c 
Ecological and Life History Studies upon a Large Foraminiferan (Disco­
botellina biperforata Col/ins 1958) from Moreton Bay, Queensland. II. 
Aquarium Observations, by W. Stephenson and May Rees, Department of 
Zoology, vol. 11, no. 12 30c 
Branchiostoma moretonensis sp. nov. (Cephalochordata), by 0. E. S. 
Kelly, Department of Zoology, vol. 11, no. 13 . . . . -.. . . 20c 
D. argentostriata: A New Species of Drosophila from New Guinea, by 
I. R. Bock, Department of Zoology, Vol. 11, no. 14 lOc 
Ascidians from Northern Australia, by Patricia Kott, Department of 
Zoology, vol. 11, no. 15 40c 
Gene Frequency in Laboratory Populations of Drosophila melanogaster, 
by D. Angus, Department of Zoology, vol. Ill, no. 1 20c 
D. silvistriata: A New Species of Drosophila from New Guinea, by I. R. 
Bock and V. Baimai, Department of Zoology, vol. Ill, no. 2 20c 
Additions to the Drosophila Fauna of New Guinea, by D. Angus, Depart-
ment of Zoology, vol. Ill, no. 3 40c 
The Genus Drosophila in New Guinea and Sabah, by Wharton B. Mather, 
Department of Zoology, vol. Ill, no. 4 20c 
Macquaridrilus: A New Genus of Tubificidae (0/igochaeta) from 
Macquarie Island. by B. G. M. Jamieson, Department of Zoology, vol. 
Ill, no. 5 60c 


A third race of Drosophila rubida

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A third race of Drosophila rubida

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