Spectral properties of movement perception in the dronefly Eristalis

Summary

• 1. Spectral-sensitivity functions of large-field movement-detecting units in the lobula plate of the dronefly Eristalis tenax L., which is a Batesian mimic of the honeybee, were measured using visual stimuli consisting of light flashes, or moving gratings. Two classes of units were studied, one class responding to inward horizontal motion in the contralateral eye (presumably the homologue of the well-known ‘HI’ in other fly species), and the other class responding to vertically-down-ward motion in the contralateral eye.

• 2. In both classes of units, the spectral-sensitivity function of the response to ‘flashes’ is characterized by two peaks, one in the UV at ca. 350 nm and the other in the blue at ca. 475 nm (Figs. 3, 8). It resembles the spectral-sensitivity function of the R1-R6 class of receptors in other flies.

• 3. In both classes of units, the spectral-sensitivity function of the response to ‘movement’ is characterized by a single peak, occurring in the blue at ca. 450 nm (Figs. 7, 9).

• 4. Control experiments on homologous units in the Australian Sheep Blowfly Lucilia cuprina, using identical stimulating conditions reveal that the response to flashes as well as movement possesses a dual-peaked spectral sensitivity, with one peak in the UV and the other in the blue-green region of the spectrum (Figs. 10–12).

• 5. The results indicate that the pathways subserving the inputs to movement-detecting neurons in Eristalis are driven by more than one spectral class of photoreceptors. They also reveal that the spectral sensitivity of movement detection in Eristalis bears a closer resemblance to that of the honeybee, than to that of other flies. This similarity to the honeybee may arise from the fact that the dronefly and the honeybee occupy similar ecological niches, both foraging for nectar in flowers.