Color distance derived from a receptor model of color vision in the honeybee

A model calculation is presented for investigating the domain between the two well-examined fields of color vision in the bee, i.e. choice behavior with respect to color stimuli, and photoreceptor physiology. Based on the properties of the receptors, the model explains quantitatively the results obtained in color discrimination experiments. The model predicts curved lines which connect the loci of most similar color stimuli in the receptor plane and makes quantitative predictions about the magnitude of the Bezold-Abney hue shift. A measure for color difference is derived from the number of the just-noticeabledifference (jnd) steps determined by the noise thresholds of the photoreceptor cells.