Sequencing of distinct wing behaviors during <i>Drosophila</i> courtship.

ABSTRACT: Some behaviors, like biting followed by chewing and then swallowing, unfold in stereotyped sequences, while others, such as limb movements during defensive maneuvers, can be flexibly combined as needed. During courtship, male Drosophilid flies produce a series of actions, including orientation, tapping, singing, licking, and copulation, that follow an ordered but temporally variable sequence [1,2]. At shorter timescales, however, individual actions remain highly dynamic. For example, courtship songs are composed of variable sequences of distinct syllables, with their patterning and amplitude actively shaped by female cues [3-5]. Leveraging recent advances in behavioral quantification [6], we discover a new courtship wing behavior that we term "waggling", which is present across mult

SUBMITTER: Li X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12407689 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature