Development of imaginal discs from lethal hybrids betweenDrosophila melanogaster andDrosophila mauritiana.

Females ofDrosophila melanogaster, crossed with males ofDrosophila mauritiana, produce only female offspring. The male hybrid larvae grow very slowly, fail to pupate and die after prolonged larval life. Imaginal discs from these male hybrids transplanted into Drosophila melanogaster larvae can give rise to adult structures with normal patterns. Differentiation of hybrid imaginal disc tissue is improved by short term culture in non-hybrid larvae prior to metamorphosis, suggesting that the hybrid larval haemolymph is inadequate to sustain normal imaginal disc growth. This may represent the physiological basis of the reproductive isolating mechanism separating the twoDrosophila species.