Scolopidia

[3] Airflow direction detection by mechanoreceptors appears to be key in the navigational behavior of flying insects, particularly in environments with slow or absent visual feedback.

[3] Scolopidia ultimately convert mechanical vibration into a nerve impulse, which is sent on to higher ganglion where the information is combined and/or processed into a resultant behavior.

Mechanosensory information received by scolopidia is typically transduced faster than visual feedback,[3] due to the physical mechanism of activating a neural impulse.

Swarming insects must detect the wing sounds of conspecifics in order to identify potential mates, and do so by using vibrations present in the air.

[3] The antennal Johnston's organ in swarming Diptera (e.g. midges and mosquitos) may contain tens of thousands of scolopophorous sense cells, which are grouped by two's or three's into individual scolopidia.

Left: Frontal view of a small fruit fly antenna. The scolopidia in the second segment (a2, pedicel ) with their neurons are illustrated. Sound energy absorption leads to vibration of the arista and rotation of the third segment a3. The rotation leads to deformation of the scolopidia, leading to activation or deactivation. Right: The antenna located on the head of the fruit fly.