Assessing the photosensitivity of the compound eye in firefly photuris sp: An electrophysiological approach

In previous studies, regional structural variations in the firefly compound eye were described. These variations prompted us to conduct electrophysiological experiments to record and correlate neural activity in the optic lobes of Photuris firefly evoked in response to light flash directed at specific region of the compound eye. Electrophysiology was used to relate activity in the firefly visual neuro-sensory system to the eye structure. Electrophysiological responses obtained from optic lobes of the nocturnal Photuris fireflies in response to wavelength and region specific stimuli showed that they have a maximum spectral sensitivity in the green spectrum (λ central = 540 nm). These findings suggested variations of visual performance across the eye of the Photuris sp. firefly. The variation in the visually-evoked potential (EP) recordings from optic lobes (OL) in response to fixed intensity of light stimuli was not related to the facet size of the omitidial lens except in the central region. This study illustrates the effectiveness of applying a bioengineering system for analyzing visual performance in the compound eyes which reflect their visual behavior and specialization.