Insect motor control: methodological advances, descending control and inter-leg coordination on the move.

•Methodology: high performance video, neurophysiology, and genetics allow to analyze insect behavior on all levels in an unprecedented way.•Descending control: task-specific command neurons have been identified for locomotor and courtship behavior in insects.•Inter-leg coordination: Coupling architectures of motor networks relate to species-specific preferred inter-leg coordination pattern.