Principles of Flexible Coordination and Anticipation in Drosophila Courtship Pursuit

Abstract

"Pursuit behaviours are critical across the animal kingdom, yet the underlying sensorimotor computations remain elusive. Here, I dissect the mechanisms of courtship pursuit in Drosophila melanogaster using high-resolution tracking, virtual targets, and head-fixation. I uncover a hierarchical control architecture based on the precise coordination of translational and rotational control, enabling males to dynamically switch between lagging, direct, and leading pursuit strategies in response to female movement. Fast reactive control (∼20–30ms latency) governs forward and angular velocity for robust lagging pursuit.(...)"