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For gentlemen fruit flies in search of a mate, beauty is in the legs of the beholder. Because male Drosophila have a sensory system that keeps them from courting flies of a different species. And it’s located in their forelegs. The finding is in the journal Cell.
对雄性果蝇来说，它们在寻找伴侣的时候可是遵循情人腿里出西施的原则。因为雄性果蝇有一个感觉系统帮助它们分辨异类。这个系统存在于它们的前腿上。这项研究成果收录在《细胞》杂志上
When a boy fly approaches a potential partner, he taps her repeatedly on the side with those forelegs. But he’s not just being a pest. Turns out he’s checking her out at a molecular level.
当一只雄性果蝇靠近一只潜在的伴侣时，它不停地敲打潜在伴侣的前腿。但是真相远没有这么简单，它可是在分子层面上检查潜在伴侣。
On his legs are sensory neurons equipped with a taste receptor called Gr32a. The receptor samples the waxy chemicals on the skin of his love interest. If the flavor is that of another species, Gr32a is turned on and the fly high-tails it out of there.
它的腿上有感觉神经元，这些神经元上有一种叫做Gr32a的味觉感受器。这种感受器检验潜在伴侣皮肤上的蜡状化学物质。如果是其他物种，Gr32a就被激活，苍蝇就飞走了。
When researchers removed the males’ sensory appendages, or simply disarmed Gr32a, the airborne Romeos tried to mate with any female on six legs. They even went for species that were three times larger than themselves, a relationship that even an untrained human eye can see is out of balance.
当研究人员将雄性果蝇的感应部位移除，或者是移除Gr32a，果蝇会跟任何六条腿的雌性交配。它们甚至能找比他们大三倍的昆虫交配。即使没有训练过的人也能看出感应部位与果蝇选择配偶之间的关系。
The system presumably keeps male flies from wasting their time pursuing females with whom coupling would prove less than fruitful.
这个系统大概是为了使雄性果蝇在追求配偶的时候不浪费过多时间，它们的交配并没有那么频繁。
