Here, the generation and evolution of the complex spotted wing pattern of Drosophila guttifera are investigated. The findings show that wing spots are induced by the Wingless morphogen, and that the elaborate spot pattern evolved from simpler schemes by co-option of Wingless expression at new sites. This type of process is likely to occur in other animals, too.
- Thomas Werner
- Shigeyuki Koshikawa
- Sean B. Carroll
