Behavioral Characteristics of Hawaiian Drosophila

Abstract

Hawaiian endemic Drosophila exhibit a suite of unique behaviors which differentiate them sharply from continental species. These behaviors appear to have evolved as responses to predation pressures. The native avian honeycreepers and the Elepaio appear to have been the prime predators but hunting spiders, Araneida, and predatory flies, Lispocephala spp., are active predators on the drosophilids and probably also have influenced the evolution of the flies.