In fruit flies, imaginal discs are developmental tissues from which many adult structures, such as eyes, wings, and halteres, are formed. In the third instar phase, a larva has molted three times, and it will do so once more to emerge as an immobile pupa. The image presented below is a composite montage prepared from a digital image of a tripled labeled fruit fly imaginal disc.

Fruit Fly Imaginal Disc: Third Instar Wing Specimen: Drosophila Imaginal Disc Technique: Fluorescence Montage

Although the general population may not appreciate the fruit fly, some of its more esoteric features have made it a favorite among scientific researchers. Initially, the fruit fly (Drosophila) was used as the primary specimen, in the fields of cellular and molecular biology, for determining the basics of eukaryotic genetics. More recently, the fruit fly has been utilized in developmental biology, with particular interest in the embryonic phase. There is also a growing body of research focusing on the adult fruit fly.