A comparison of the activity of flight interneurones in locusts,crickets, dragonflies and mayflies

Summary The activity patterns of interneurones in the flight systems of dragonflies and mayflies were investigated using standard intracellular recording and staining techniques, and were compared with those of crickets and locusts. The results show several basic similarities in the operation of a central motor pattern generator for flight in all four groups of insects. These similarities can be explained as resulting from conservative evolution of flight pattern generating circuitry within the central nervous system.