Department of Biology, Institute of Sensory Ecology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany,
J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2014 Jun;200(6):497-512. doi: 10.1007/s00359-014-0895-1. Epub 2014 Mar 25.
The visual ecology of flies is outstanding among insects due to a combination of specific attributes. Flies' compound eyes possess an open rhabdom and thus separate rhabdomeres in each ommatidium assigned to two visual pathways. The highly sensitive, monovariant neural superposition system is based on the excitation of the peripheral rhabdomeres of the retinula cells R1-6 and controls optomotor reactions. The two forms of central rhabdomeres of R7/8 retinula cells in each ommatidium build up a system with four photoreceptors sensitive in different wavelength ranges and thought to account for colour vision. Evidence from wavelength discrimination tests suggests that all colour stimuli are assigned to one of just four colour categories, but cooperation of the two pathways is also evident. Flies use colour cues for various behavioural reactions such as flower visitation, proboscis extension, host finding, and egg deposition. Direct evidence for colour vision, the ability to discriminate colours according to spectral shape but independent of intensity, has been demonstrated for few fly species only. Indirect evidence for colour vision provided from electrophysiological recordings of the spectral sensitivity of photoreceptors and opsin genes indicates similar requisites in various flies; the flies' responses to coloured targets, however, are much more diverse.
由于特定属性的结合，蝇类的视觉生态学在昆虫中尤为突出。蝇类的复眼具有开放的光棒，因此每个小眼的光棒都被分配到两个视觉通路上。高度敏感、单变量的神经叠加系统基于对感受细胞 R1-6 的外围光棒的激发，并控制着光运动反应。每个小眼的 R7/8 感受细胞的两种中央光棒形式构成了一个具有四个对不同波长范围敏感的光感受器的系统，被认为可以解释色觉。来自波长辨别测试的证据表明，所有颜色刺激都被分配到四个颜色类别之一，但两条通路的合作也是明显的。蝇类利用颜色线索来进行各种行为反应，如访问花朵、伸喙、寻找宿主和产卵。只有少数蝇类物种被证明具有根据光谱形状而不是强度来区分颜色的色觉能力。从光感受器和视蛋白基因的光谱灵敏度的电生理记录中提供的间接色觉证据表明，各种蝇类具有相似的要求；然而，蝇类对彩色目标的反应则更加多样化。
