Mechanisms of Alignment in Feeding Aphids on the Plant Stem.

Aphids are observed on various plant species, with most aphids feeding downward on stems. In this study, I studied the variations in feeding postures of aphids and their mechanisms. My field observations revealed that the majority of individuals from most species fed facing downward, or more precisely, towards the roots.

Description of the karyotype of (Diptera, Diopsidae).

The eye stalks in Diopsidae (Bilberg, 1820) have been widely examined, but the evolutionary origin of this unique trait remains unclear. Thus, further studies of (Say, 1828), the extant genus forming a basal branch of Diopsinae, are needed. The present study aimed to identify the karyotype of (Walker, 1860) with conventional Giemsa staining.

piggyBac- and phiC31 integrase-mediated transgenesis in Drosophila prolongata.

The development of transgenesis systems in non-model organisms provides a powerful tool for molecular analysis and contributes to the understanding of phenomena that are not observed in model organisms. Drosophila prolongata is a fruit fly that has unique morphology and behavior not found in other Drosophila species including D. melanogaster.

Comparative analysis of the brain transcriptome in a hyper-aggressive fruit fly, Drosophila prolongata.

Aggressive behavior is observed in many animals, but its intensity differs between species. In a model animal of genetics, Drosophila melanogaster, genetic basis of aggressive behavior has been studied intensively, including transcriptome analyses to identify genes whose expression level was associated with intra-species variation in aggressiveness. However, whether these genes are also involved in the evolution of aggressiveness among different species has not been examined.

Social context-dependent modification of courtship behaviour in Drosophila prolongata.

Induction of alternative mating tactics by surrounding conditions, such as the presence of conspecific males, is observed in many animal species. Satellite behaviour is a remarkable example in which parasitic males exploit the reproductive investment by other males. Despite the abundance of parasitic mating tactics, however, few examples are known in which males alter courtship behaviour as a counter tactic against parasitic rivals.