The latter frequently varies across different regions of individual compound eyes, including regions with heightened acuity. The level to which spatial resolution can be achieved depends on the overall size of the eye, as well as the eye’s curvature (Land 1981 Land and Nilsson 2002). The latter is particularly efficient at providing large visual fields, and many insects are capable of 360° vision. A convex epithelium, on the other hand, with pigment cells and an array of tiny lenses, is the basic organization of insect compound eyes (Fig. A concave epithelium with pigment cells and a light-gathering lens is the basic organization of our eyes as well as the insect ocelli (Fig. Arguably, the most important visual property of eyes is spatial resolution, which is achieved through curvature of photoreceptive tissue. Much of this review will focus on how comparative developmental biology elucidated the many ways with which evolution retooled the ancient and highly constrained design of insect compound eyes.Ĭompound eyes are functionally analogous to single-chamber eyes that have been turned inside out. Progress in the Drosophila compound eye has precipitated surprising insights into the origins of the visual organs of other insects (Moses 2002 Trujillo-Cenoz 1985 Ready et al. A great deal can be learned about the evolution of animal form and function by studying insect vision, a topic that has gained new interest through the molecularly driven renaissance of comparative developmental biology (Carroll 2005). The obscurity of this fact, little known even to entomology students, illustrates the mystery and also highlights an ignorance of insect eye diversity. These, as will be discussed in detail, originated by segregation from the ancestral insect compound eye. Amazingly, 100 years passed after the first major publications on the optics of arthropod eyes before two of the seven visual organs were discovered (Exner 1891 Grenacher 1879). As a case in point, a simple fruit fly like the extraordinarily well-studied Drosophila melanogaster uses no less than “seven eyes” (Hofbauer and Buchner 1989) (Fig. Insects have evolved a large variety of additional visual organs that are less conspicuous and more difficult to study. While certainly true, this is just half the story. Pervasive taxonomic presence and high design similarity suggest that insect compound eyes represent a paradigm of evolutionary conservation. You can refer to this article with active link to The manufacturer reserves the right to make changes to the pricing, product range and specifications or discontinue products without prior notice.Compound eyes represent the most prominent visual organ in the majority of insects. Contact us and we will help you find an ideal optical tool that will perform all these tasks.Īny reproduction of the material for public publication in any information medium and in any format is prohibited. You can examine life in a water drop, study prepared microscope slides, and perform scientific experiments at home. You will be able to explore all popular areas in the amateur research field. We recommend that you acquire a modern digital or optical microscope for studying the micro world. You can take photos of their eyes with a digital microscope, for example, the one of an ant eye under a microscope – you can see the photo above. You can observe insects and arachnids at 50x-100x magnification, but you can get a more detailed image using optics with 800x or 1000x magnification. Flies have compound eyes, while spiders’ eyes look like large glossy beads. It is interesting that insects and arachnids have different eye structures. A few minutes – and you will see a whole universe in the objective lens of a microscope. It is not difficult to catch a fly, mosquito or a spider. Insects’ and arachnids’ eyes are also interesting objects to explore. Let’s unravel a mystery: you can study an eye under a microscope. For example, Levenhuk N80 NG "See it all" Slides Set includes 19 prepared specimens of human organs, but even in this set you will not find such a rare specimen. Prepared sets of slides usually include nerve and muscle fibers, human skin, and human hair – but not eyes. However, it is almost impossible to get such a specimen for an amateur biologist to study. The higher the microscope magnification, the more small details you can see. Human eye under a microscope is a whole universe of colors and complicated structures.