A behavioral assay to test sensory-cue-guided oriented flight in monarch butterflies under controlled conditions.

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Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Rieveschl Hall, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA. Electronic address:

Published: December 2022

Many animals use sensory cues to guide movement. Testing animals under conditions in which cues can be isolated and manipulated is key for understanding the function of cues. Here, we present a protocol to assess the flight of migratory monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). We describe procedures to optimize and conduct trials, especially under indoor conditions. This protocol facilitates testing monarchs in various experimental conditions including during their subjective night when they are not normally flying. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Parlin et al. (2022)..

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9768416PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101920DOI Listing

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