Spectral sensitivity of the ocelli of the adult cabbage looper moth,Trichoplusia ni

Abstract

The spectral sensitivity of the ocellus ofT. ni was studied by electrophysiological techniques. ERG waveform, amplitude-energy functions, spectral sensitivity obtained by criterion response methods and light adaptation experiments were used to study spectral mechanisms. Results indicate two spectral mechanisms with peak sensitivities at 360 and 530 nm. The data supporting two spectral mechanisms are differences in ERG waveform at short and long wavelengths, different slopes in amplitude-response functions at short and long wavelengths, the presence of two peaks in spectral sensitivity curves and the differential effects of UV and green adapting lights on the ocellar ERG response to UV and green stimuli.