Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A fovea in the praying mantis eye

III. The centring of the prey

  • Published:
Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

A special experimental device was employed to study which zones of the eye, the praying mantis uses to “look at” the prey before striking.

1.The results indicate that these insects try to place their heads in such a position that when the fly is within catching distance, particular zones of the eyes are implicated in the formation of the image. These zones proved to be the fovea.

2.However, the animals do not always centre the prey on exactly the same part of the fovea. It seems that there exists a relationship between the angle α p(Fig. 2) and different parts of the fovea.

3.These findings are presented as a strong support to the hypothesis that the fovea is a specialized area of the eye for fine estimation of catching distance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barrós-Pita, J. C., Maldonado, H.: A fovea in the praying mantis eye. II. Some morphological characteristics. Z. vergl. Physiol. 67, 79–92 (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  • Levereault, P.: The morphology of the Carolina mantis. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 14, 205–259 (1936).

    Google Scholar 

  • Maldonado, H., Barrós-Pita, J. C.: A fovea in the praying mantis eye. I. Estifmation of the catching distance. Z. vergl. Physiol. 67, 58–78 (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mittelstaedt, H.: Regelung und Steuerung bei der Orientierung der Lebewesen. Regelungstechnik 10, 226–232 (1954).

    Google Scholar 

  • —: Prey capture in mantids. Recent advances in invertebrate physiology, p. 51–71. Oregon: University of Oregon Publishers 1957.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biofísica y Bioquímica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Apartado 1827, Caracas, Venezuela

    L. Levín & H. Maldonado

Authors
  1. L. Levín
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. Maldonado
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

We are indebted to Dr. G. Whittembury for reading the manuscript and for helpful criticism. We wish to thank Prof. Dr. Max Beier for taxonomical identification of the praying mantis. Figures have been drawn by Mr. J. Machin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Levín, L., Maldonado, H. A fovea in the praying mantis eye. Z. Vergl. Physiol. 67, 93–101 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00298121

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00298121

Keywords

Search

Navigation