Learned orientation in landward swimming in the cricket Pteronemobius Lineolatus

Abstract

Pteronemobius lineolatus swims landward visually guided by terrestrial and, at times, associated celestial cues. Crickets irrespective of their previous visual experience swim towards artificial black horizontal landmarks. Non shore-dwelling crickets select random directions when released, under blue sky, for the first time on water surface in the absence of landmarks. If old enough to swim larvae and adult crickets learn a compass direction, during their first swim and each new directional landward swimming, if there are conspicuous terrestrial landmarks. There is forgetting and relearning of celestial compass orientation.