Cryptic and mimetic protective colour patterns are often cited as some of the most exquisite examples of natural selection in the wild (e.g. Fisher 1958; Kettlewell 1973). Nevertheless, our interpretation and understanding of protective coloration has proceeded largely without consideration of the visual capabilities of the predators which act as selective agents. Endler (1978) defines a colour pattern as cryptic "if it resembles a random sample of the background perceived by the predators at the time and age, and in the microhabitat where the prey is most vulnerable to visually hunting predators" (our italics). However, virtually no studies of cryptic coloration to date have considered the visual system of the predator. Instead, they have been carried out using assessments of colour based on the visual system of humans (Bennett and Cut-hill 1994; Bennett et al. 1994).
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