Meeting Abstract
Insect nervous systems are capable of processing complex sensory information at remarkable speeds. Flies collect this information in part from halteres, a set of mechanosensory organs, which are crucial for flies to maintain flight equilibrium, but what sensory information each haltere provides during flight and other behaviors remains uncertain. To determine the role of individual halteres in flight behaviors, high-speed video was used to examine effects of removing one or both halteres in two different fly genera, Sarcophaga and Calliphora. Flies with only one haltere, when compared to intact and haltereless flies, displayed intermediate behavioral deficits in flight duration, flight trajectory, and landing success, but not a complete loss of stability. Haltereless Sarcophaga filmed over a two-week period after haltere removal had no recovery of flight stability. Additionally, Sarcophaga beat their halteres during walking, a trait not seen in all flies. Examination of various walking behaviors, such as stair climbing, vertical walking, and posture control during vibrational perturbations demonstrated that haltereless flies climb less and fall more often during vertical walking. Thus, subtle and specific deficits in single-haltere flight and haltereless walking suggest more complex sensory control in both behaviors.
