title: Theory of arachnid prey localization.
abstract: Sand scorpions and many other arachnids locate their prey through highly sensitive slit sensilla at the tips (tarsi) of their eight legs. This sensor array responds to vibrations with stimulus-locked action potentials encoding the target direction. We present a neuronal model to account for stimulus angle determination using a population of second-order neurons, each receiving excitatory input from one tarsus and inhibition from a triad opposite to it. The input opens a time window whose width determines a neuron's firing probability. Stochastic optimization is realized through tuning the balance between excitation and inhibition. The agreement with experiments on the sand scorpion is excellent.
authors.affiliation: Physik Department, TU München, D-85747 Garching bei München, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stürzl
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kempter
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: van Hemmen
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D012605:Scorpions / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology; D014732:Vibration