Differential mate choiceamong laboratory evolved cytoraces, members of nasuta albomicans complex of Drosophila.

Hybridization played an important role in diversification of many taxonomic group, as its known to accelerate speciation by introgression, slow or reverse differentiation by recombination. The cytoraces are the resultant of interracial hybridization between Drosophila nasuta nasuta and Drosophila nasuta albomicans of nasuta subgroup of immigrans species group of Drosophila. The extensive genetic studies on these cytoraces, which are inbred for more than 600 generations, have indicated the presence of divergence. Here, we investigate the mate choice among few cytoraces to establish the existence of racial divergencein preference for a mate and time taken to complete the copulation with the mate. The cytoraces showed differential preferences for homogamy, heterogamy and random mates among the cytoraces. Where the males of C-3 showed preference for homogamy, indicating the positive assortative mating, while the males of C-9 mates randomly. The males of C-3 and C-15 showed longer copulation duration and were able to overcome the female resistance. These behaviors of cytoraces renders them as a potential system to study the early onset of preference in raciation/speciation. - See more at: