The Flicker Response Contour for the Crayfish. I

The F - log I curve for threshold response to visual flicker has been determined for the crayfish Cambarus bartoni. As predicted on the basis of the higher curvature of the optic surface, the flicker response contour is more asymmetrical than for bee and dragonfly nymph under comparable conditions of temperature and light time fraction of flash cycle. The mechanical origin of this asymmetry is thus confirmed, and is further supported by the similar forms of the F - log I curves in bee, dragonfly larva, and crayfish in the lower portion of the curves (up to F = 70 per cent F(max.)). The slope of the fundamental curve for crayfish, deduced by analysis of the data, is lower than for bee, dragonfly nymph, or Asellus. This signifies a wider spread of the effective distribution of elemental log I thresholds involvable in the response to flicker, and may be traced either to the greater curvature of the eye-surfaces or to their position upon movable pedicles. The results are therefore consistent with the statistical conception of the nature of effects recognizable as due to the activity of excitable elements.