摘要：SummaryNocturnal insects likely have evolved distinct physiological adaptations to enhance sensitivity for tasks, such as catching moving prey, where the signal-noise ratio of visual information is typically low. Using electroretinogram recordings, we measured the impulse response and the flicker fusion frequency (FFF) in six congeneric species ofMyrmeciaants with different diurnal rhythms. The FFF, which measures the ability of an eye to respond to a flickering light, is significantly lower in nocturnal ants (∼125 Hz) compared to diurnal ants (∼189 Hz). However, the nocturnal ants have faster eyes at very low light intensities than the diurnal species. During the day, nocturnal ants had slower impulse responses than their diurnal counterparts. However, at night, both latency and duration significantly shortened in nocturnal species. The characteristics of the impulse responses varied substantially across all six species and did not correlate well with the measured flicker fusion frequency.Graphical abstractDisplay OmittedHighlights•Flicker fusion frequency is lower in nocturnal ants compared to diurnal ants•Latency and duration of the impulse response shorten at night in nocturnal ants•In ants, the FFF is not predicted by the measured impulse response characteristicsEthology; Animal physiology; Behavioral neuroscience;
