Wireless stimulation of antennal muscles in freely flying hawkmoths leads to flight path changes

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 7; no. 12; p. e52725
• Main Authors: Hinterwirth, Armin J, Medina, Billie, Lockey, Jacob, Otten, David, Voldman, Joel, Lang, Jeffrey H, Hildebrand, John G, Daniel, Thomas L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 26.12.2012; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Abdomen; Airspeed; Animal behavior; Animals; Antennae; Antennal muscles; Arthropod Antennae - cytology; Arthropod Antennae - innervation; Arthropod Antennae - physiology; Biology; Butterflies & moths; Computer engineering; Computer science; Electric Stimulation; Electrical engineering; Electrical stimuli; Engineering; Experiments; Flight; Flight altitude; Flight control; Flight control systems; Flight, Animal; Insects; Lepidoptera; Manduca - cytology; Manduca - physiology; Manduca sexta; Mechanoreceptors; Mechanoreceptors - physiology; Mechanotransduction, Cellular; Medicine; Muscles; Muscles - physiology; Organs; Orthoptera; Pitch (inclination); Radio control; Reflexes; Sense organs; Steering mechanisms; Stimulation; Wireless Technology; Massachusetts
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052725

Insect antennae are sensory organs involved in a variety of behaviors, sensing many different stimulus modalities. As mechanosensors, they are crucial for flight control in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. One of their roles is to mediate compensatory reflexes of the abdomen in response to rotations of the body in the pitch axis. Abdominal motions, in turn, are a component of the steering mechanism for flying insects. Using a radio controlled, programmable, miniature stimulator, we show that ultra-low-current electrical stimulation of antennal muscles in freely-flying hawkmoths leads to repeatable, transient changes in the animals' pitch angle, as well as less predictable changes in flight speed and flight altitude. We postulate that by deflecting the antennae we indirectly stimulate mechanoreceptors at the base, which drive compensatory reflexes leading to changes in pitch attitude.