Visual communication

The diverse ecological niches that insects occupy have led to the immense variation we observe in the structure of their compound eyes and the visual signals that insects can produce. The modular structure of the compound eye, through which insects receive visual information, is a highly adaptable structure capable of impressive feats of image resolution, colour perception, and motion detection, in a range of varying light environments. Additionally, the insect exoskeleton, through which insects produce visual signals and cues, is a dynamic canvas producing a diversity of shapes, textures, pigments, and structural colours. This chapter attempts to present the diversity resultant from millennia of selective pressure in a variety of contexts, including conspecific assessment, prey capture, and predator avoidance.