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1. Takeoff diversity in Diptera

   https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2375  

   Yarger, Alexandra M; Jordan, Katherine A; Smith, Alexa J; Fox, Jessica L (January 2021, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)

   The order Diptera (true flies) are named for their two wings because their hindwings have evolved into specialized mechanosensory organs called halteres. Flies use halteres to detect body rotations and maintain stability during flight and other behaviours. The most recently diverged dipteran monophyletic subsection, the Calyptratae, is highly successful, accounting for approximately 12% of dipteran diversity, and includes common families like house flies. These flies move their halteres independently from their wings and oscillate their halteres during walking. Here, we demonstrate that this subsection of flies uses their halteres to stabilize their bodies during takeoff, whereas non-Calyptratae flies do not. We find that flies of the Calyptratae are able to take off more rapidly than non-Calyptratae flies without sacrificing stability. Haltere removal decreased both velocity and stability in the takeoffs of Calyptratae, but not other flies. The loss of takeoff velocity following haltere removal in Calyptratae (but not other flies) is a direct result of a decrease in leg extension speed. A closely related non-Calyptratae species (D. melanogaster) also has a rapid takeoff, but takeoff duration and stability are unaffected by haltere removal. Haltere use thus allows for greater speed and stability during fast escapes, but only in the Calyptratae clade. 

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2. Experimental assessment of 3D-printed traps and chemical attractants for the collection of wild Drosophila melanogaster

   https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.28.635319  

   Keene-Snickers, Alexandra H; Dunham, Tillie J; Stenglein, Mark D (January 2025, bioRxiv)

   ABSTRACT Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, has been instrumental to our understanding of evolution, genetics and disease. There are benefits to studying these flies in the wild, including assessment of their naturally occurring microbiota. To facilitate efforts to catch wildD. melanogaster, we designed two fly traps and evaluated several candidate attractants. The first trap utilized a stable food substrate that can be used to catch live flies to establish new lab colonies. The second trap was designed to be reusable and easy to ship to enable the collection of flies over time from diverse locations. We evaluated several chemical attractants derived from banana and from marula fruit, which is the proposed ancestral food host ofD. melanogaster. We found that wild flies were preferentially attracted to banana-based odorants over marula-derived ones. Overall, these traps and attractants represent an inexpensive and simple option for the collection of wildD. melanogasterand related species for sampling or colony establishment. 

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3. Distinct subpopulations of mechanosensory chordotonal organ neurons elicit grooming of the fruit fly antennae

   https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.59976  

   Hampel, Stefanie; Eichler, Katharina; Yamada, Daichi; Bock, Davi D; Kamikouchi, Azusa; Seeds, Andrew M (October 2020, eLife)

   null (Ed.)

   Diverse mechanosensory neurons detect different mechanical forces that can impact animal behavior. Yet our understanding of the anatomical and physiological diversity of these neurons and the behaviors that they influence is limited. We previously discovered that grooming of the Drosophila melanogaster antennae is elicited by an antennal mechanosensory chordotonal organ, the Johnston’s organ (JO) (Hampel et al., 2015). Here, we describe anatomically and physiologically distinct JO mechanosensory neuron subpopulations that each elicit antennal grooming. We show that the subpopulations project to different, discrete zones in the brain and differ in their responses to mechanical stimulation of the antennae. Although activation of each subpopulation elicits antennal grooming, distinct subpopulations also elicit the additional behaviors of wing flapping or backward locomotion. Our results provide a comprehensive description of the diversity of mechanosensory neurons in the JO, and reveal that distinct JO subpopulations can elicit both common and distinct behavioral responses. 

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4. Dehydrating microhabitats increase mite activity and intensify ectoparasitism of Drosophila

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-025-01652-x  

   Benoit, Joshua B; LeFevre, Gabrielle; Bose, Joy; Miller, Ann; Lewis, David; Talbott, Hailie; Das, Chandrima; Susanto, Emily; Wang, Lyn; Ajayi, Oluwaseun M; et al (February 2026, Journal of Comparative Physiology B)

   Abstract Parasites interact with their host in variable environments that are often subject to water scarcity and dehydration. Drosophilid fruit flies and associated ectoparasitic mites interact across a range of microhabitats, typically in decaying organic matter, such as fallen fruit and cactus tissue, that dries out and deteriorates over periods ranging from days to months. Here, we report that mite parasitism ofDrosophilaincreases with exposure to increasingly dry conditions for two fly-mite systems (D. nigrospiracula-MacrochelesandD. melanogaster-Gamasodes). InD. melanogaster, artificial selection for increasing behavioral resistance did not eliminate this effect, as previously selected lines remained relatively more resistant than non-selected controls even under dry conditions. Water balance assays confirmed that mites became dehydrated when held under dry conditions, which was also associated with increased mite activity. Exposure ofD. melanogasterto mites dehydrated by exposure to low relative humidity increased parasitism, further supporting that prevalence of infestation intensifies under dry conditions. The results indicate that ectoparasitism in this system is affected by the water content of the mites. The increased motivation of mites to parasitize flies under dry conditions may serve to replenish mite water stores and facilitate dispersal to more favorable microhabitats. 

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5. Mechanisms of Variability Underlying Odor-Guided Locomotion

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.871884  

   Tao, Liangyu; Bhandawat, Vikas (May 2022, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience)

   Changes in locomotion mediated by odors (odor-guided locomotion) are an important mechanism by which animals discover resources important to their survival. Odor-guided locomotion, like most other behaviors, is highly variable. Variability in behavior can arise at many nodes along the circuit that performs sensorimotor transformation. We review these sources of variability in the context of the Drosophila olfactory system. While these sources of variability are important, using a model for locomotion, we show that another important contributor to behavioral variability is the stochastic nature of decision-making during locomotion as well as the persistence of these decisions: Flies choose the speed and curvature stochastically from a distribution and locomote with the same speed and curvature for extended periods. This stochasticity in locomotion will result in variability in behavior even if there is no noise in sensorimotor transformation. Overall, the noise in sensorimotor transformation is amplified by mechanisms of locomotion making odor-guided locomotion in flies highly variable. 

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