Meeting Abstract
Long-legged flies spend most of their time chasing each other and their prey in fast but complex flights. These bursts of activity are usually initiated by a visual stimulus, the nature of which determines the motor response of the fly and the particular pattern of flight that follows. Using high-speed digital videography and 3d track reconstruction, we studied the interaction among long-legged flies of the genus Condylostylus and characterized their flight behavior according to particular parameters: distance to the target, length of the pursuit, yawing velocity and 3d velocity. We found that for these flies, we can characterize three distinct flight patterns: territorial flight, predatory chase, and mating pursuit. The interplay of three relatively simple behavioral patterns, dynamic visual targets, and fast flight, can then explain much of the complex flight behavior observed in these flies.
