We introduce a method to quantify flight ability and physical fitness of individual fruit flies which we term ‘Flight Burst Duration’ (FBD). This consisted of tethering individual insects by the dorsal thorax using a vacuum and measuring the length of time the insect beats its wings while suspended off a surface. Consecutive measurements with Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel (Dipera: Tephritidae) and Zeugodacus cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the same day and across days indicated that a single measurement was sufficient, and that FBD was consistent and repeatable. Insects under stress from starvation displayed shorter FBD over time, and we suggest that the measure also relates to the physical condition or survival fitness of the individual. Though somewhat laborious and time-consuming, we propose that FBD can be useful for research studies requiring individual-level phenome data and for obtaining estimates quality and dispersive movement for insects.

中文翻译：

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飞行爆发持续时间可作为两种拟蝇类果蝇飞行能力和身体素质的指标

我们引入了一种量化个体果蝇的飞行能力和身体适应性的方法，我们称之为“飞行爆发持续时间”（FBD）。这包括使用真空将单个昆虫束缚在背胸中，并测量昆虫悬吊在表面上时拍打翅膀的时间。与桔小实蝇（Dactera：Tephritidae）和葫芦科的连续测量Coquillett（双翅目：蝇科）在同一天和几天内表明，一次测量就足够了，FBD是一致且可重复的。饥饿导致的昆虫随着时间的推移显示出更短的FBD，我们建议该措施还与个体的身体状况或生存适应度有关。尽管有些费力且费时，但我们建议FBD可用于需要个体水平表型数据的研究以及获得有关昆虫的估计质量和分散运动的有用信息。