Sensory fusion in the hoverfly righting reflex

Abstract

Abstract We study how falling hoverflies use sensory cues to trigger appropriate roll righting behavior. Before being released in a free fall, flies were placed upside-down with their legs contacting the substrate. The prior leg proprioceptive information about their initial orientation sufficed for the flies to right themselves properly. However, flies also use visual and antennal cues to recover faster and disambiguate sensory conflicts. Surprisingly, in one of the experimental conditions tested, hoverflies flew upside-down while still actively flapping their wings. In all the other conditions, flies were able to right themselves using two roll dynamics: fast ( $$\sim $$ ∼ 50ms) and slow ( $$\sim $$ ∼ 110ms) in the presence of consistent and conflicting cues, respectively. These findings suggest that a nonlinear sensory integration of the three types of sensory cues occurred. A ring attractor model was developed and discussed to account for this cue integration process.