Aggregations in Mycophagous Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae): Candidate Pheromones and Field Responses

Hexane extracts from Drosophila falleni Wheeler, D. recens Wheeler, D. putrida Sturtevant, and D. testacea Roser contained a variety of compounds that, like compounds known as aggregation pheromones in other species of Drosophila, are produced only by mature males. Application of crude hexane extracts to mushrooms in the field significantly increased the numbers of Drosophila spp. captured at the mushrooms. We conclude that these volatile compounds can influence the distribution of flies across breeding sites in the field.