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Hi all,

is it possible to identify D. melanogaster based on the black abdomen tip or is it a feature shared by other species as well? Found in my house in Berlin, Germany.

Best regards,
Adrian

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A clear picture of the sex combs on the fore basitarsi is useful in this group.

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Hi John, thanks for the hint. It took me some time to get a sharp picture of another individual I found. Here are front and side view of the specimen, the insets show the sex combs enlarged. I think on the top picture one could probably see some details. I do not think that I can provide any better pictures, my camera was already at maximum zoom and the features are really minute. Luckily the fly was sitting very still!

Does this image help?

Best, Adrian

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Drosophila simulans is very similar, but in Germany melanogaster is by far the commonest of the two.