Abdominal-B neurons selectively drive vibrations in Drosophila

Abstract

Male Drosophila courtship includes two communication signals: airborne song and substrate-borne vibrations. While the neural control of song has been extensively characterized, little is known about the circuits underlying vibration production. Here, we identify neurons expressing the Hox gene abdominal-B (abdB) as a driver of vibration production. Optogenetic activation of abdB neurons selectively elicited vibrations in both males and females without inducing courtship song, whereas silencing these neurons did not impair vibration production during natural courtship. The vibration-driving abdB neurons are neither doublesex-nor fruitless-positive, defining a previously unrecognized component of the courtship circuit. Although abdB activation produced only stimulus-locked vibrations, co-activation of the persistence-promoting neuron cluster pCd converted this transient signal output into sustained vibration trains. Together, our results identify a dedicated pathway for vibration production and show that signal identity and persistence can be independently specified by distinct circuit components.