Evolution in black and white:: genetic control of pigment patterns in Drosophila

Coloration is one of the most variable characters among animals and is a rich source of models of phenotypic evolution. The great diversity of pigment patterns in Drosophila, coupled with the availability of genetic approaches in both model and more exotic species, has recently spawned efforts to elucidate the genetic architecture and molecular basis of pigment pattern evolution. Pigmentation differences are often polygenic and correlate with regulatory changes in both transcription factor genes and structural genes. Understanding the developmental genetic basis of color differences in Drosophila could provide inroads to classic evolutionary problems such as industrial melanism, mimicry and phenotypic convergence.