Present study aims to explore the phototaxic behavior of larvae of three Drosophila melanogaster strains (namely Oregon K, sepia eye and white eye) with an improvised low-cost setup, which in turn may be a useful project for the school students of IX - XII classes. Simple light-dark preference test was carried out using a pair of glass Petri dishes with dark and light area, small cupboard and LED torch emitting 1000 lux light. Number of larvae in light and dark area was captured using a smart phone and their percentage was calculated. Results showed that all the three strains of larvae were negatively phototaxic and normal O.K larvae were more (84%) sensitive to light than the mutant sepia (70%) and white (71%) eyed larvae. There may exist a relation between phototaxis response and eye color. Further, as the pre and in-service teachers opined, this study can be an effective project for the higher secondary students for active learning by doing and to go beyond text book.
