A geneticist is examining a culture of fruit flies and discovers a single female with strange spots on her legs. The new mutation is named melanotic. When a female melanotic fly is crossed with a normal male, the following progeny are produced: 123 normal females, 125 melanotic females, and 124 normal males. In subsequent crosses with normal males, melanotic females are frequently obtained, but never any melanotic males. Provide a possible explanation for the inheritance of the melanotic mutation. (Hint: The cross produces twice as many female progeny as male progeny.