Summary
The thoracic and abdominal segments of the Drosophila embryo contain 373 neurons innervating external sensory structures and 162 neurons innervating chordotonal organs. These neurons are arranged in ventral, lateral and dorsal clusters within each segment, in a highly invariant pattern. Two fascicles are formed in each segment as the sensory axons grow ventrally towards the CNS and meet motor axons growing dorsally from the CNS. In all but the last segment, the anterior fascicle is contributed by the dorsal and lateral neurons, while the posterior one is formed by the ventral neurons. Five distinct segmental patterns are described, corresponding to (1) the prothorax, (2) the other two thoracic segments, (3) the first seven abdominal segments, (4) the eighth and (5) the ninth (and possibly the tenth) abdominal segments.
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The publisher regrets that two companion papers unfortunately were published out of sequence. The present paper should have preceded the paper entitled “The sense organs in the Drosophila larva and their relation to the embryonic pattern of sensory neurons”, which appeared in Volume 195, Number 4 of the journal (pp 222–228)
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Ghysen, A., Dambly-Chaudière, C., Aceves, E. et al. Sensory neurons and peripheral pathways in Drosophila embryos. Roux's Arch Dev Biol 195, 281–289 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00376060
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00376060