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A fovea for e-vector orientation in the eye ofCataglyphis bicolor (Formicidae, Hymenoptera)

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Summary

  1. 1.

    The importance of different eye-regions and of different areas within the skylight pattern for the accuracy of polarized light orientation inCataglyphis bicolor has been investigated by restricting the e-vector information in the uv-spectrum to specific parts of the visual field.

  2. 2.

    All parts of the skylight pattern are equally well known to the ants. Looking at areas of maximum or only weak polarization does not influence the orientation performance. The accuracy depends on the position of the visible patch relative to the zero-direction.

  3. 3.

    For e-vector orientation a small quite sharply limited area in the dorsomedial part of the eye appeared to be most important. Its ommatidia are looking at a region of the sky with an elevation ranging from about 43° to 65° to the horizontal plane. The foveal centre lies at approximately 51°.

  4. 4.

    Cinematographically recorded compensatory inclination movements of head and thorax, induced by artificial restrictions of the visible field, lead to angle calculations of 45° for the lower and 60° for the upper margin of the foveal region.

  5. 5.

    The lateral extension of the foveal region could not be defined exactly. The centre, however, is looking at an azimuthal angle of 45° to the head's sagittal plane. The central ommatidia in the foveal region of both eyes include an approximate angle of 90°, thus excluding the interpretation of simultaneous binocular e-vector detection.

  6. 6.

    An aperture with a diameter of 10°, corresponding to a group of 9–17 ommatidia, is sufficient for correct e-vector detection. Polarization analysis is possible with one eye alone.

  7. 7.

    The ommatidia responsible for e-vector orientation have been localized histologically. The behavioural results of the polarization analysis are discussed with regard to neuroanatomical findings in the foveal region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Section of Neurobiology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Peter Duelli

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  1. Peter Duelli
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This paper belongs to a thesis done with Prof. Dr. R. Wehner, whom I would like to thank for the subject, many valuable discussions, and for reading the manuscript. I thank my colleagues Drs. P. L. Herrling, W. A. Ribi and cand. biol. E. Meyer for help in the anatomical investigations, and R. Sulzer for constructing the apparatus. The work was financially supported by the Karl Hescheler Stiftung and the Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique, grant no. 3.315.70 (R. Wehner). Medicamental equipment was kindly offered by the Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. AG, Basel.

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Duelli, P. A fovea for e-vector orientation in the eye ofCataglyphis bicolor (Formicidae, Hymenoptera). J. Comp. Physiol. 102, 43–56 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00657484

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