Family overview
Tiny (2-4 mm) yellow-tan flies, often with red eyes. Attracted to fermenting fruit.
Drosophila melanogaster is one of the most-studied organisms in biology — 8 Nobel Prizes awarded for research using it.
At a glance
Family facts.
Distribution
Worldwide
Habitat
Terrestrial
Approx. species
4,000
Notable members
Drosophila melanogaster (model organism), spotted wing drosophila