Binocular visual input is essential for prey capture but not attention to prey in the praying mantis Sphodromantis lineola

Abstract

Binocular vision provides animals with several evolutionary advantages. In praying mantises, one of these advantages is stereopsis that has different effects while attending to prey and capturing prey. However, the importance of binocular, compared to monocular, visual input has not been tested in either stage of predation. We therefore used an insect 3D cinema to present mantises with binocular and monocular stimuli to either prime their attention or elicit prey capture. We used a previous paradigm where a wide-field figure motion cue attracts mantis attention, which leads to predatory responses to a small-field elementary motion target. We found that binocular visual input enhances attention to cues, but monocular cues are also effective. However, prey capture responses were fundamentally dependent on binocular input. Thus, binocularity appears to be fundamental to prey capture in mantises but not for attending to prey.