Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile nucleotide sequences which, through changing position in host genomes, partake in important evolutionary processes. The expression patterns of two TEs, P element transposon and 412 retrotransposon, were investigated during Drosophila melanogaster and D. willistoni embryogenesis, by means of embryo hybridization using riboprobes. Spatiotemporal transcription patterns for both TEs were similar to those of developmental genes. Although the two species shared the same P element transcription pattern, this was not so with 412 retrotransposon. These findings suggest that the regulatory sequences involved in the initial development of Drosophila spp are located in the transposable element sequences, and differences, such as in this case of the 412 retrotransposon, lead to losses or changes in their transcription patterns.