259 
A HIGH FECUNDITY RECORD FOR DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. 
Roscoe R. HYDE. 
Three females of the species Drosophila melanogaster have been 
encountered in my experiments with this fly that have made excep- 
tionally high egg laying records. This fly as I have previously shown 
lives on an average of about forty days and during this period the 
average female deposits about 500 eggs. The fecundity record by days 
of the three flies in question is given in table I. The females were 
mated and kept in separate bottles to which a small amount of well 
fermented banana was added. Each day the banana was removed 
and a new lot added. The banana served for food and also as a trap 
for the collection of eggs. The eggs were counted with the aid of a 
small hand lens and dissecting scope. In this way I have observed the 
egg laying capacities of hundreds of these flies and the three listed are 
so exceptional that their performance is here recorded. 
Number 8, the most productive fly laid 2,184 eggs. She emerged 
from the puparium on November 28, 1912, and was mated on the follow- 
ing day. Her egg laying record begins December 1 and continues until 
TABLE. 
Fecundity record of three exceptional females of Drosophila melanogaster. 
Dec. 1912 . Jan. 1913 Feb. 1913 
Number of 9 |- = 
8 9 13 8 9 13 8 9 13 
1 25 25 30 23 33 38 32 30 15 
2 30 26 21 25 22 37 15 9 10 
3 27 17 51 35 48 43 16 22 15 
4 23 18 6 32 8 22 22 20 14 
5 25 35 23 17 22 12 21 6 13 
6 25 33 25 25 30 30 17 3 10 
4 21 ilr/ 7 29 10 19 26 20 10 
8 12 30 42 31 18 31 21 2 7 
9 26 28 20 8 10 6 29 9 15 
10 20 34 40 18 23 20 24 8 4 
11 31 26 21 19 0 0 23 D 5 
12 43 45 40 43 35 25 28 10 
13 27 39 31 40 25 23 17 4 
14 24 29 31 29 35 30 19 7 
15 34 28 27 19 13 16 19 6 
16 50 2 39 21 18 7 17 6 
17 46 28 45 47 37 30 12 3 
18 30 29 40 21 13 10 6 2 
19 53 50 43 31 21 32 9 1 
20 58 53 42 28 22 28 5 2 
21 22 1 53 40 36 21 8 4 
22 5 30 20 23 36 23 5 2 
23 36 25 24 30 30 26 0 2 
24 45 17 30 14 19 24 0 
25 25 35 35 27 8 9 0 
26 28 22 35 32 19 20 D 
27 30 10 28 41 21 24 
28 35 15 25 35 33 15 
29 27 18 36 24 16 18 
30 30 18 31 13 10 16 
31 60 30 39 
otalumim person coesiaids vosetasta sc stant Mier eee alee cine eee 0.081 Sy Led 1,613 1,807 
