QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by BOYCOTT, B. B. Articles by MUNTZ, W. R. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by BOYCOTT, B. B. Articles by MUNTZ, W. R. A.

Journal of Experimental Biology 41,865-877 (1964)
Published by Company of Biologists 1964

Black and White Preferences in the Frog, Rana Temporaria, and other Anura

B. B. BOYCOTT ¹, N. MROSOVSKY ², and W. R. A. MUNTZ ³

¹ Zoology Department, University College London
² M.R.C. Unit for the Experimental Investigation of Behaviour, University College London
³ Institute of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford

1. Conditions are described in which the frog, Rana temporaria, selects the darker of two stimuli.

2. Some similar observations are reported for other amphibians.

3. Further experiments suggested that a dark starting area is a factor tending to decrease negative phototaxis. Forcing the frogs from the dark starting area decreased the scores for the darker of two stimuli.

4. No strong positive phototaxis was found in the present experiments.

5. In conditions giving negative phototaxis there is a slight preference for blue over green.

6. These results are compared to previous work and discussed in relation to the possible underlying mechanism and their biological value.