Static antennae act as locomotory guides that compensate for visual motion blur in a diurnal, keen-eyed predator

High visual acuity allows parallel processing of distant environmental features, but only when photons are abundant enough. Diurnal tiger beetles (Carabidae: Cicindelinae) have acute vision for insects and visually pursue prey in open, flat habitats. Their fast running speed causes motion blur that degrades visual contrast, forces stop-and-go pursuit, and potentially impairs obstacle detection. We demonstrate here that vision is insufficient for obstacle detection during running, and show instead, that antennal touch is both necessary and sufficient for obstacle detection. While running, tiger beetle vision appears to be photon limited in a way reminiscent of animals in low light habitats. Such animals often acquire wide-field spatial information through mechanosensation mediated by longer, more mobile appendages. We show that a nocturnal tiger beetle species waves its antennae in elliptical patterns typical of poorly sighted insects. While antennae of diurnal species are also used for...

高视锐度可实现对远处环境特征的并行处理，但这一功能仅在光子足够充足时生效。昼行性虎甲（步甲科：虎甲亚科，Carabidae: Cicindelinae）拥有昆虫中较为敏锐的视觉，能在开阔平坦的栖息地中通过视觉追踪猎物。其快速奔跑速度会引发运动模糊，降低视觉对比度，迫使追踪过程呈现走走停停的模式，并可能削弱障碍物检测能力。本研究证明，奔跑过程中视觉不足以完成障碍物检测；相反，触角触碰对于障碍物检测而言既是必要条件也是充分条件。奔跑状态下，虎甲的视觉似乎受到光子限制，其表现模式与低光照栖息地中的动物相似。这类动物通常通过较长且更灵活的附肢介导的机械感觉来获取广域空间信息。我们发现，某夜行性虎甲物种会以视力欠佳昆虫特有的椭圆轨迹挥动触角。而昼行性物种的触角也用于...