ArticleCurrent biology : CB2017
A Novel Interception Strategy in a Miniature Robber Fly with Extreme Visual Acuity.
Article in Current biology : CB, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers.
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38 citing papers in PubMed.
- Dipteran flight diversity is shaped by aerodynamic constraints, scaling, and evolutionary trade-offs.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Investments in photoreceptors compete with investments in optics to determine eye design.eLife · 2026Article
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- Predation via motion parallax in one of two gleaning insects.The Journal of experimental biology · 2026Article
- Understanding the mechanism of facilitation in hoverfly TSDNs.PLoS computational biology · 2025Article
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- Fish couple forecasting with feedback control to chase and capture moving prey.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2024Article
- Spatial resolution and optical sensitivity in the compound eyes of two common European wasps, Vespula germanica and Vespula vulgaris.The Journal of experimental biology · 2024Article
- Visual acuity ofInsects · 2023Article
- Measuring compound eye optics with microscope and microCT images.Communications biology · 2023Article
- Hoverfly (Eristalis tenax) pursuit of artificial targets.The Journal of experimental biology · 2023Article
- Predatory behavior under monocular and binocular conditions in the semiterrestrial crabFrontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2023Article
- CompoundRay, an open-source tool for high-speed and high-fidelity rendering of compound eyes.eLife · 2022Article
- Raptors avoid the confusion effect by targeting fixed points in dense aerial prey aggregations.Nature communications · 2022Article
- Avoiding obstacles while intercepting a moving target: a miniature fly's solution.The Journal of experimental biology · 2022Article
- Abdominal Movements in Insect Flight Reshape the Role of Non-Aerodynamic Structures for Flight Maneuverability I: Model Predictive Control for Flower Tracking.Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2022Article
- Dragonfly Neurons Selectively Attend to Targets Within Natural Scenes.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2022Article
- Temporal vision: measures, mechanisms and meaning.The Journal of experimental biology · 2021Article
- Gravity and active acceleration limit the ability of killer flies (Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2021Article
- Multicentric tracking of multiple agents by anterior cingulate cortex during pursuit and evasion.Nature communications · 2021Article
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6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Our visual system allows us to rapidly identify and intercept a moving object. When this object is far away, we base the trajectory on the target's location relative to an external frame of reference [1]. This process forms the basis for the constant bearing angle (CBA) model, a reactive strategy that ensures interception since the bearing angle, formed between the line joining pursuer and target (called the range vector) and an external reference line, is held constant [2-4]. The CBA model may be a fundamental and widespread strategy, as it is also known to explain the interception trajectories of bats and fish [5, 6]. Here, we show that the aerial attack of the tiny robber fly Holcocephala fusca is consistent with the CBA model. In addition, Holcocephala fusca displays a novel proactive strategy, termed "lock-on" phase, embedded with the later part of the flight. We found the object detection threshold for this species to be 0.13°, enabled by an extremely specialized, forward pointing fovea (∼5 ommatidia wide, interommatidial angle Δφ = 0.28°, photoreceptor acceptance angle Δρ = 0.27°). This study furthers our understanding of the accurate performance that a miniature brain can achieve in highly demanding sensorimotor tasks and suggests the presence of equivalent mechanisms for target interception across a wide range of taxa. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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