Here's the last of my quartet of flies from my upcoming Nature's Wonders set, the Common Fruit Fly. Fruit flies are yellow-brown, with brick-red eyes and transverse black rings across the abdomen. They exhibit sexual dimorphism; females are about 2.5 mm (0.10 inches) long, while males are slightly smaller. Females have bodies that are up to 30% larger than an adult male. This species is called the "Queen of Genetics" because its use by scientists, starting with Thomas Hunt Morgan, revolutionized genetics through its simple genetics (few chromosomes, easy to see mutations like eye/wing color), short life cycle (many generations quickly), high reproductive rate, and surprising genetic similarity to humans, allowing breakthroughs in understanding heredity, development, and human diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's.