Evolutionary genetics of the Drosophila montium subgroup. I. Reproductive isolations and the phylogeny

Seventeen species of the Drosophila montium subgroup, originated from the Southeast Asia, were genetically examined to clarify the phylogenetic relationships. Among 272 interspecific crosses, 61 combinations were successful in mating and 39 combinations produced hybrid flies. These results enabled us to classify the subgroup into three species complexes: the kikkawai complex (6 species), the jambulina complex (4 species) and the auraria complex (7 species), which were very similar to that obtained by the electrophoretic classification (Ohnishi and Watanabe, 1984). Asymmetrical mating preference between species was found in the present experiment. They were applied to estimate the relative age of species according to the hypothesis proposed by Watanabe and Kawanishi (1979). The evolving order was as follows: kikkawai, leontia, pennae, lini-like, lini, bocki in the kikkawai complex, punjabiensis, punjabiensis-like, jambulina, barbarae in the jambulina complex, and quadraria, yuwanensis, rufa, subauraria, biauraria, triauraria, auraria in the auraria complex. Hybrid flies, if produced, were mostly fertile or partially fertile in both sexes (32/39) within species complex crosses. Therefore premating isolation played a more important role than postmating isolation in speciation of the D. montium subgroup.