The unexpected recovery of hybrids in aDrosophilaspecies cross: a genetic analysis

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Abstract
Summary: The species cross betweenDrosophila melanogasterandD. simulanswas first described by Sturtevant in the 1920s. According to his description, the hybridization ofD. simulans femalesandD. melanogastermales produces only (or almost only) male progeny. Female hybrids are embryonic lethal. Here it is shown that these traditional results no longer hold. Instead,D. simulansis polymorphic for factor(s) that qualitatively affect the outcome of species crosses toD. melanogaster. Remarkably, many, if not most, strains ofD. simulansproduce abundant female hybrids when crossed toD. melanogastermales. Genetic analysis of the difference betweenD. simulansstrains that produce many versus few hybrid females shows that recovery of hybrid females depends on autosomal, maternally acting gene(s).