COLOUR VISION IN CURRANT CLEARWING MOTH (SYNANTHEDON TIPULIFORMIS) (LEPIDOPTERA: SESIIDAE)

Abstract

Males of the currant clearwing moth (Synanthedon tipuliformis) preferred yellow and green pheromone-baited traps. Electrophysiological and behavioural experiments were conducted to determine whether this phenomenon was caused by the ability of currant clearwing moths to discriminate colours and their preference for some of them. The electroretinogram (ERG) study revealed 2 sensitivity peaks in the dark adapted eye: in the UV zone (λ_max = 350 nm) and in the green zone (λ_max = 500 nm). According to the ERG data on the bright orange adapted eye, the latter peak might be the sum response of the blue receptor with λ_max ~ 470 nm and the green receptor with λ_max ~ 530 nm. In field experiments with traps of equal contrast against the background but different in colour, light-yellow traps were significantly more attractive, providing evidence, that S. tipuliformis moths possess colour vision and use it while reacting to the female sex pheromone. Although it was proved that currant clearwing moths are able to perceive the UV-colour, the addition of the UV-colour did not affect attractiveness of traps.

Keywords:

• Synanthedon tipuliformis
• electroretinograms
• coloured traps
• colour vision
• UVcolour