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Some characteristics of the visual perception of the ant Myrmica sabuleti
Author(s) -
Cammaerts MarieClaire
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
physiological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-3032
pISSN - 0307-6962
DOI - 10.1111/j.0307-6962.2004.00419.x
Subject(s) - biology , perception , geometry , binocular vision , object (grammar) , horizontal and vertical , artificial intelligence , computer vision , optics , physics , mathematics , computer science , neuroscience
. Using classical conditioning techniques, this study aims to determine what the ant Myrmica sabuleti can see and discriminate. It appears that workers see distinctly vertical as well as horizontal segments 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 15 mm wide and 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 15 cm long. They can also see distinctly horizontal segments (0.5 × 3 cm) located at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 cm height, but do not see such a segment situated at 15 cm height. This allowed the assessment of their maximum distance of vision. Myrmica sabuleti workers also see distinctly vertical segments (0.5 × 3 cm) sloping backwards towards the horizontal at different angles (90, 60, 45, 30, 15 and 0 °). Consequently, M. sabuleti workers see cues lying horizontally on the ground and have a stereovision of a portion of their environment. The species also see distinctly black circles of different sizes located horizontally above them. Thus, they are able to see distinctly slightly modified patterns located aside, below, above as well as before them, and have a small area of binocular vision that both eyes can look at. Myrmica sabuleti workers' maximum distance of vision is directly proportional to the square root of the surface of the object observed. Consequently, the smallest vision angular subtense of an object needed to elicit a reaction in M. sabuleti workers is evaluated as being approximately 5 angular degrees.