This image is of Fruit Fly dendritic arborization (Da) Neurons. Sensory neurons cover the body wall of Drosophila (fruit flies) larvae, allowing the larvae to gain an understanding of their surrounding environment. If you get the chance to look at the sensory neurons that cover drosophila larvae, you will see different clusters of neurons that overlap each other. Each cluster is composed of four classes; in the image showed above three classes are highlighted. In this way, you can see individual neurons and see how they relate to the structures of each other (Green- Class I, Blue-Class III, Red-Class IV).

Through studying the sensory neurons of fruit flies, we can get a better understanding of how the human sensory neurons function as well. Scientists have already found that there are multiple types of sensory neurons by studying fruit flies, and are hoping to discover even more.

Z. Yan, W. Zhang, Y. He, D. Gorczyca, Y. Xiang, L. E. Cheng, S. Meltzer, L. Y. Jan, Y. N. Jan. Drosophila NOMPC Is a Mechanotransduction Channel Subunit for Gentle-Touch Sensation. Nature, 2013, 493 (7431), 221-225. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11685.