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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

High-Resolution Video Tracking of Locomotion in Adult Drosophila Melanogaster

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Avoiding obstacles while intercepting a moving target: a miniature fly's solution.

Samuel T Fabian^1,2, Mary E Sumner³, Trevor J Wardill³

¹Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|February 15, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Miniature robber flies (Holcocephala fusca) use combined guidance for prey interception, integrating proportional navigation with obstacle avoidance. This allows them to successfully navigate and capture prey even when faced with unexpected obstacles.

Keywords:

Flight Insect Navigation Predation

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Low-Cost Automated Flight Intercept Trap for the Temporal Sub-Sampling of Flying Insects Attracted to Artificial Light at Night

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Published on: December 29, 2021

Area of Science:

Insect behavior
Robotics
Biophysics

Background:

Robber flies exhibit complex predatory behaviors.
Proportional navigation is a common guidance law in biological intercepts.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how Holcocephala fusca navigates during prey interception when obstacles are present.
To determine if H. fusca employs a single or multiple guidance systems.

Main Methods:

Predatory trials with Holcocephala fusca.
Introduction of a large object into the fly's flight path.
Analysis of flight deviations and steering responses.

Main Results:

H. fusca deviates from pure proportional navigation when encountering obstacles.
Obstacle avoidance is mediated by visual expansion of the obstacle.
A combined guidance system integrating proportional navigation and obstacle avoidance explains observed behavior.

Conclusions:

Predatory intent is not the sole driver of steering behavior in H. fusca.
Simple combinations of guidance laws can explain complex interceptive behaviors.
Combined guidance allows for successful prey capture despite environmental challenges.