A Drosophila female pheromone elicits species-specific long-range attraction via an olfactory channel with dual specificity for sex and food

Background Mate finding and recognition in animals evolves during niche adaptation and involves social signals and habitat cues. Drosophila melanogaster and related species are known to be attracted to fermenting fruit for feeding and egg-laying, which poses the question of whether species-specific fly odours contribute to long-range premating communication.