Not so fast: giant interneurons control precise movements of antennal scales during escape behavior of crayfish

The giant escape neurons of crayfish: Past discoveries and present opportunities

“…LG motor output was also long considered to be locally restricted, primarily to the abdomen and caudal part of the thorax. However, a recent study found that the LG also activates a set of head appendages (i.e., antennal scales; Figure 5A), and it does this with superb temporal precision Frontiers in Physiology frontiersin.org (Herberholz et al, 2019).…”

“…LG motor output was also long considered to be locally restricted, primarily to the abdomen and caudal part of the thorax. However, a recent study found that the LG also activates a set of head appendages (i.e., antennal scales; Figure 5A ), and it does this with superb temporal precision ( Herberholz et al, 2019 ). LG-mediated scale extensions are delayed compared to body movements and full extension of the scales coincides with full flexion of the tail, possibly aiding in upward thrust.…”

“…Natural stimuli produced significantly shorter latencies for movement onsets, including scale extensions in restrained animals. From Herberholz et al (2019) (Figures 2, 6). (Reused with permission, Copyright 2019; Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany).…”

“…Similar to the LG neurons, the motor output of the MGs also extends beyond the abdomen and thorax. The MGs drive the extension of the aforementioned antennal scales, but they do this with much shorter temporal delay ( Herberholz et al, 2019 ; Figure 5B ). When the MG neurons were activated in freely behaving animals by poking the head with a handheld rod, full extension of the scales was completed before the animal began to move backward.…”

Ventral Morphology and Ecological Implications ofCindarella eucalla(Artiopoda, Xandarellida) from Chengjiang Biota, China

“…In extant arthropods, such as male moths, antennal scales on the segments enhance their ability to detect signals (Wang et al, 2018). The antennae of crustaceans have various functions, such as the antennal scale of juvenile shrimp being an integral part of the second antennae and assisting in or enhancing locomotion (Herberholz et al, 2019). The nature of antennal scales in Xandarellids is more likely to be similar to male moths' antennal scales in terms of attachment position and quantity, and they may also have a signal detection function.…”