Distribution of Drosophila serrata Malloch (Diptera : Drosophilidae) in Australia with particular reference to the southern border

Abstract

The distribution of the fly Drosophila serrata Malloch in Australia was characterised in light of the increasing use of this species as an evolutionary model system. A synthesis of previous collections suggested that D. serrata was limited to the eastern and northern coastal areas, with a southern border approximately 200 km north of Sydney and that this species utilised a wide range of resources as breeding sites. Additional collections suggested that the southern border changed seasonally, shifting some 270 km to Wollongong in late summer and autumn. Simulations using CLIMEX implicate cold stress in limiting the southern distribution.