This paper identifies the motor pattern of rolling escape locomotion in Drosophila larvae by analyzing muscle activation sequences during optogenetically triggered rolling.

Journal of Experimental Biology · Sep 1, 2026Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Genomics and reproductive biology of Leptopilina n. sp. Buffington, Lue, Davis & Tracey sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Figitidae): An asexual parasitoid of Caribbean Drosophila

Amelia R. I. Lindsey, Chia‐Hua Lue, Jeremy S. Davis, Lydia J. Borjon, Stephanie E. Mauthner, Laura C Fricke, Anna Youtsey, Lauren Eads, Molly Murphy, Melissa K. Drown, Christopher D. Faulk, Matthew L. Buffington, William Daniel Tracey

This paper describes a new parasitoid wasp species, Leptopilina n. sp., and presents its genome, Wolbachia endosymbiont, and reproductive biology.

Genetics · Jan 31, 2026Peer-reviewedEvolutionary Biology

Multiple mechanisms of action of an extremely painful venom

Lydia J. Borjon, Luana Assis Ferreira, Jonathan C. Trinidad, Sunčica Šašić, Andrea G. Hohmann, William Daniel Tracey

This study identifies multiple molecular mechanisms by which velvet ant venom activates nociceptors in both vertebrates and invertebrates.

Current Biology · Jan 1, 2025Peer-reviewedNeuroscience