Integrative study on the insect flight control systems employing wireless transmission of electromyograms and optical measurements of wing kinematics

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To understand neuronal mechanisms for flight control in the hawkmoth, we developed an experimental system comprising wireless telemetry of muscle activities and optical measurements of insect movements. The system allowed us to analyze both flight muscle activities and wing kinematics simultaneously during free flight. Our results indicated that hawkmoths can change wing stroke amplitude and stroke plane widely by slight changes of activity timings in the flight muscles (within 3 ms). We also did neurophysiological analyses of command signals from the brain and neuroanatomical analyses of central projections of peripheral mechanoreceptors located on the wings. The sensory afferents from both the fore- and hindwing spread widely in the thoracic ganglia and the suboesophageal ganglion, which indicated that the sensory afferents are involved in both flight motor pattern generations and head control for stabilizing visual field during brisk flight maneuvers of the hawkmoth.