title: Isolating Spermathecae and Determining Mating Status of Drosophila suzukii: A Protocol for Tissue Dissection and Its Applications.
abstract: The spotted wing drosophila,Drosophila suzukii(Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an emerging invasive pest, which attacks a wide variety of fruits and berries. Although previous studies have focused on different aspects ofD. suzukiireproductive biology, there are no protocols available for determining the mating status ofD. suzukiifemales and drosophilids in general. In this study, a step-by-step protocol for tissue dissection, isolating spermathecae, and determining the mating status of females was developed specifically forD. suzukii. This protocol is an effective and relatively quick method for determining female mating status. It has important applications from exploring reproductive output ofD. suzukiifemales to understanding the biology ofD. suzukiiwinter morph, which presumably plays the main role in the overwintering of this invasive species. We demonstrated applicability of this protocol for both field collected flies and flies reared in the lab, including fly specimens stored on a long-term basis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706, USA. alina.avanesyan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avanesyan
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706, USA. bjaffe2@wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Benjamin D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706, USA. guedot@wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guédot
keywords: Drosophila suzukii; invasive species; mating status; sperm storage; spermathecae; spotted wing drosophila; tissue dissection