Visual feedback influences antennal positioning in flying hawk moths

• DOI: 10.1242/jeb.094276
• Publication Date: 2013-11-22T01:32:56Z
• Authors: Anand Krishnan; Sanjay P. Sane
• Keywords: Bristle

Summary Insect antennae serve a variety of sensory functions including tactile sensing, olfaction and flight control. For all these functions, the precise positioning antenna is essential to ensure proper acquisition feedback. Although antennal movements in diverse insects may be elicited or influenced by multimodal stimuli, relative effects cues their integration context responses are not well-understood. In previous studies, we have shown that fields Böhm's bristles located at base provide crucial mechanosensory input for flying hawk moths. Here, present electrophysiological behavioral evidence show that, addition bristles, muscles moths also respond bilateral visual input. Moreover, contrast -motor circuit which entirely contained within ipsilateral side, feedback influences on both contra- sides. Electromyograms recorded from latency muscle stimulation ranged 35-60 ms, considerably slower than stimuli (<10ms). Additionally, inputs received motion-sensitive direction-selective. We characterized influence presenting open-loop translational rotational tethered During observed contralateral direction turn moved forward through larger angles antenna. These observations suggest whereas mediates rapid corrections position, involved slower, bilaterally coordinated during visually-guided maneuvers. Thus, can modulate set point held