Homozygous males and females have defective cuticular hydrocarbon (CH) profiles (as measured by the desaturation index).
Mutant males and females have radically decreased proportions of unsaturated hydrocarbons on their cuticle compared to wild type. This includes a reduction in the main female pheromone (7,11-dienes) in the mutant females and the main male pheromone (7-tricosene) in the mutant males. The mutants have a higher proportion of saturated hydrocarbons on their cuticle compared to wild type.
Mutant males show a reduced ability to discriminate between wild-type male and female flies in a courtship assay under red light conditions.