Predictive saccades and decision making in the beetle-predating saffron robber fly.

Internal predictions about the sensory consequences of self-motion, encoded by corollary discharge, are ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, including for fruit flies, dragonflies, and humans. In contrast, predicting the future location of an independently moving external target requires an internal model. With the use of internal models for predictive gaze control, vertebrate predatory species compensate for their sluggish visual systems and long sensorimotor latencies.

Binocular Encoding in the Damselfly Pre-motor Target Tracking System.

Akin to all damselflies, Calopteryx (family Calopterygidae), commonly known as jewel wings or demoiselles, possess dichoptic (separated) eyes with overlapping visual fields of view. In contrast, many dragonfly species possess holoptic (dorsally fused) eyes with limited binocular overlap. We have here compared the neuronal correlates of target tracking between damselfly and dragonfly sister lineages and linked these changes in visual overlap to pre-motor neural adaptations.