@article {22894, title = {The relative importance of olfaction and vision in a diurnal and a nocturnal hawkmoth}, journal = {Journal of Comparative Physiology A}, volume = {192}, year = {2006}, month = {12/2006}, pages = {431-437}, chapter = {431}, abstract = {

\"Nectar-feeding animals can use vision and olfaction to find rewarding flowers and different species may give different weight to the two sensory modalities. We have studied how a diurnal or nocturnal lifestyle affects the weight given to vision and olfaction. We tested na\ïve hawkmoths of two species in a wind tunnel, presenting an odour source and a visual stimulus. Although the two species belong to the same subfamily of sphingids, the Macroglossinae, their behaviour was quite different. The nocturnal Deilephila elpenor responded preferably to the odour while the diurnal Macroglossum stellatarum strongly favoured the visual stimulus. Since a nocturnal lifestyle is ancestral for sphingids, the diurnal species, M. stellatarum, has evolved from nocturnal moths that primarily used olfaction. During bright daylight visual cues may have became more important than odour.\"

}, keywords = {DEILEPHILA, MACROGLOSSUM, OLFACTION, PHYSIOLOGY, SPHINGIDAE, VISION}, doi = {10.1007/s00359-005-0081-6}, author = {Balkenius, A. and Ros{\'e}n, W. and Kelber, A.} } @article {21312, title = {Colour discrimination in dim light: an analysis of the photoreceptor arrangement in the moth Deilephila}, journal = {Journal of Comparative Physiology A}, volume = {129}, year = {1979}, pages = {257-267}, chapter = {257}, abstract = {

\"Visual pigment absorption and spectral sensitivity are calculated for a model rhabdom based on the Deilephila rhabdom. The effect of different sky light intensity spectra on absorption and spectral sensitivity is examined, and the importance of the receptor arrangement for colour vision discussed. The quality of colour perception which can be expected for such an eye is estimated. The calculations reveal, firstly, a balance between the spectral bandwidths of rhodopsin absorption spectra and the distances between their maxima, which is of great significance with respect to colour vision. Secondly, they show that the quality of colour discrimination for dim light, at luminance levels between 0.1 and 10 cd/m2, is comparable to the performance of the human eye at much higher levels of luminance.\"

}, keywords = {COLOUR VISION, DEILEPHILA, RHODOPSIN, SPHINGIDAE}, doi = {10.1007/BF00657662}, author = {Schlecht, P.} } @article {21311, title = {Three visual pigments in Deilephila elpenor (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae)}, journal = {Journal of Comparative Physiology A}, volume = {86}, year = {1973}, pages = {215-229}, chapter = {215}, abstract = {

\"Selective irradiation of digitonin extracts (pH 6.1) from dark-adapted eyes of the Sphingid moth Deilephila elpenor revealed three visual pigments with \λmax at about 345, 440 and 520 nm. From the reaction of the chromophoric group with hydroxylamine it is concluded that these pigments are based on retinaldehyde, and therefore can be classed with rhodopsins. At \−15 \°C, each of the rhodopsins can completely (P 520) or partially (P 440 and P 345) be converted by light to acid metarhodopsin absorbing maximally at 480 \± 10 nm, which decay at room temperature to retinaldehyde and protein moiety. Spectrophotometric measurements on isolated retinae (pH 7.4) indicate that the metarhodopsins, in contrast to the findings on extracts, are thermostable in the photoreceptor membrane at room temperature. The results are compared with electrophysiological and microspectrophotometrical data. The different properties of the metarhodopsins in detergent solution and in the isolated retina are discussed.\"

}, keywords = {COLOUR VISION, DEILEPHILA, RHODOPSIN, SPHINGIDAE, VISION}, doi = {10.1007/BF00696341}, author = {Schwemer, J. and Paulsen, R.} }