ULTRA-VIOLET PHOTORECEPTORS IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM - THEIR DISTRIBUTION AND FUNCTION

Until very recently, the role of ultra-violet (UV) colour perception i n vertebrate and invertebrate vision has largely been ignored. However , in the past few years, a host of detailed information has become ava ilable on the widespread distribution of UV receptors in different spe cies - from insects to mammals - and the important functions they seem to play in navigation, foraging, intraspecies communication and the c ontrol of circadian rhythms.