Insect Vision: A Model for Understanding Visual Sensitivity to UV Light

Insect Vision: Ultraviolet, Color, and LED Light
Marianne Shockley Cruz Ph.D. and Rebecca Lindner
University of Georgia Department of Entomology
Published November 2011

Paper Summary:
This paper represents insect vision literature ranging from the 1940’s to the present. The specific studies in this essay typically indicated what type of light radiation attracts insects and why. Insects are sensitive to a broad spectrum of light ranging from ultraviolet (UV) to red. Color sensitivity in the UV spectrum plays an important role in foraging, navigation, and mate selection in both flying and terrestrial invertebrate animals. This attraction to UV light has made insects a useful model for understanding visual sensitivity to UV light.