Inversion polymorphism in Indian natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Six natural populations (three urban and three rural) of Drosophila melanogaster from India were analysed for chromosome inversions, revealing the presence of 19 different paracentric autosomal inversions. One new inversion has also been detected in a laboratory stock established from flies collected from Kerala. In total 20 different paracentric inversions in Indian D. melanogaster have been detected during the present study, and of these, 4 are common cosmopolitans; 2 are rare cosmopolitans; 7 are recurrent endemics; and 7 are unique endemics. The quantitative data clearly show that the urban populations are different from the rural ones with respect to inversion polymorphism.