butterfly vision
Ron Royer
royer at warp6.cs.misu.nodak.edu
Tue Apr 28 11:04:18 EDT 1998
Colleagues:
I recently received the inquiry repeated below, but am not in a position to
provide an authoritative answer. If anyone on the list is able to do so,
please have at it -- either off-list (address the inquirer, but please copy
me), or on-list, as you choose.
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I'm an Associate in Zoology at the Field Museum. We are having a summer
exhibit of living "local butterflies" in a special tent put up by
"Spineless Wonders", a commercial outfit from MN. I'm involved with the
training of the volunteers who will work the exhibit this summer.
I have found a factoid that I have not been able to verify. The statement
is that "butterflies have split vision. The monarch, in particular
[others?] see color in the lower half and polarized light in the upper
half. This helps them navigate". There is no citation. I would be
grateful if you might verify or negate this info. I have checked Douglas,
_Lives of Butterflies_, and others and come up empty.
John A. Wagner, Coleopterist [but I started with Leps.]
<jwagner at fmnh.org>
John A. Wagner
Biologist
The Field Museum
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__ __
/ \ / \ Ronald Alan Royer
| o\\ //o | Professor in the Division of Science
\____\o/____/ Minot State University, Minot ND 58707
/ /O\ \ 701-858-3209 (Desk), 3161 (Office)
\_ / | \ _/ 701-839-6933 or 701-858-3163 (FAX)
'\\/ \//' <royer at warp6.cs.misu.nodak.edu>
/ \
See the _Atlas of North Dakota Butterflies_, now with pictures,
at <http://www.npwrc.org/resource/distr/lepid/bflynd/bflynd.htm>
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"The only man who can change his mind is the man who's got one."
-- Edward Noyes Westcott
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