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Small or far away? Size and distance perception in the praying mantis.

ABSTRACT: Stereo or '3D' vision is an important but costly process seen in several evolutionarily distinct lineages including primates, birds and insects. Many selective advantages could have led to the evolution of stereo vision, including range finding, camouflage breaking and estimation of object size. In this paper, we investigate the possibility that stereo vision enables praying mantises to estimate the size of prey by using a combination of disparity cues and angular size cues. We used a recently developed insect 3D cinema paradigm to present mantises with virtual prey having differing disparity and angular size cues. We predicted that if they were able to use these cues to gauge the absolute size of objects, we should see evidence for size constancy where they would strike preferentially at prey of a particular physical size, across a range of simulated distances. We found that mantises struck most often when disparity cues implied a prey distance of 2.5 cm; increasing the implied distance caused a significant reduction in the number of strikes. We, however, found no evidence for size constancy. There was a significant interaction effect of the simulated distance and angular size on the number of strikes made by the mantis but this was not in the direction predicted by size constancy. This indicates that mantises do not use their stereo vision to estimate object size. We conclude that other selective advantages, not size constancy, have driven the evolution of stereo vision in the praying mantis.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in our three-dimensional world'.

SUBMITTER: Nityananda V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4901456 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Small or far away? Size and distance perception in the praying mantis.

Nityananda Vivek V Bissianna Geoffrey G Tarawneh Ghaith G Read Jenny J

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences 20160601 1697

Stereo or '3D' vision is an important but costly process seen in several evolutionarily distinct lineages including primates, birds and insects. Many selective advantages could have led to the evolution of stereo vision, including range finding, camouflage breaking and estimation of object size. In this paper, we investigate the possibility that stereo vision enables praying mantises to estimate the size of prey by using a combination of disparity cues and angular size cues. We used a recently d ...[more]

PMID: 27269605

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Project description:BackgroundBlepharopsis mendica (Fabricius, 1775) is a large mantid species found from the Canary Islands across North Africa, the Middle East, and Pakistan. Research on this species has been limited, especially in Iran, despite the country's potential significance for studying its biology and distribution. Adults of this species are easily recognizable by their marble-white pattern and rhomboidal leaf-like pronotum. They are sit-and-wait predators that inhabit various open environments.MethodsField observations were conducted across various regions of the Egyptian Flower mantis (Blepharopsis mendica) global distribution, with a focus on Morocco, Tunisia, and Iran. Distribution data for B. mendicawere gathered from fieldwork, museum collections, online biodiversity databases, and publications, totaling 593 occurrence points. Ecological niche modeling was performed using environmental data, and various models were evaluated for suitability. Phylogeographic analyses involved DNA sequencing and construction of a haplotype network to examine genetic relationships between populations. Divergence time estimation and biogeographical range expansion models were applied to explore historical distribution shifts of the species across different regions. The study provided comprehensive insights into the biology, distribution, and genetic history of B. mendica.ResultsWe provide information on the life cycle, ootheca, defense behavior, habitat, and biogeography of the Egyptian Flower mantis Blepharopsis mendica. This mantid is an overwintering univoltine species with nymphs emerging in summer and becoming adults in spring. In the wild, females start oviposition in April and can lay their first ootheca within a week after mating. The species is distributed from the Canary Islands to Pakistan in the dry belt. Thus, its distribution is associated with xeric areas or desert and semi-desert habitats. Phylogeographic analyses revealed three major genetic lineages, (i) in the Maghreb, (ii) from Egypt via Arabia to Iran (with internal substructures), and (iii) likely in Pakistan; the estimated onset of differentiation into these lineages is of Pleistocene age. Defense behavior involves flying away or extending wings broadly and lifting forelegs. Performing laboratory breeding, we documented life cycle and color changes from first instar to adulthood. Due to overwintering, the last larval instar needs considerably longer than the others. At 25 °C (±2), average adult life span was 118 days (±6 SD) for females (range: 100-124) and 46 days (±5 SD) for males (range: 39-55), with a significant difference among sexes. On average, oothecae contained 32.3 eggs (±10.1 SD) and the mean incubation period was 36.8 days (±2.9 SD). We did not find evidence of parthenogenesis. In general, the biology of B. mendica shows a variety of adaptations to its often extreme and little predictable type of habitat.

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Small or far away? Size and distance perception in the praying mantis.

Publications

Small or far away? Size and distance perception in the praying mantis.

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