The approach behaviour of the hawkmoth Manduca sexta toward multi-modal stimuli: A simulation model

Abstract

We present two models of the behaviour of the hawkmoth Manduca sexta when it approaches an artificial flower with an olfactory, visual or multimodal cue. The first model treats each condition separately while the second model combines both types of sensory cues in a single model. Both models reproduce several characteristic properties of the hawkmoth behaviour including its goal direction and velocity profile for different stimulus types. In addition, the second model accounts for the interaction between visual and olfactory cues. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.