This study was performed to investigate the effects of ultraviolet light (UVC) on the third instar larvae of Drosophila melanogaster. To address such effects, double heterozygote larvae for two linked genes sepia and ebony (se e/++) were exposed to UV light at the wavelength of 254 nm in different exposure times (5-35 seconds). Our study showed that the UVC exposure induced a series of significant morphological abnormities in adult flies which had received radiation in their larval life-time. Short exposure times of UVC caused abnormalities in adult flies such as abdominal cuticular damages and abnormal legs and wings, but had no significant effect on the rate of gene recombination. Therefore, it seems the time of exposure which was used in this research affected some imaginal discs and histoblasts on the larvae.

Keywords: Drosophila melanogaster, ultraviolet light (UVC), morphological abnormalities

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