The role of visual stimuli in drosophila sexual behavior

Sexual behavior of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen is a multimodal innate behavior, which can be modified by individual experience. This paper shows that: (1) the structure of the mating ritual depends on visual perception; (2) visual stimuli serve as conditioned signals in the suppression of mating ritual. The extrusion of the ovipositor can change the behavior of male, either increasing the intensity of mating (extrusion of the ovipositor at rest) or decreasing it (extrusion of the ovipositor while running).