Development of the compound eyes of dragonflies (odonata). II. Development of the larval compound eyes

Abstract

The development of the compound eye was analyzed by marking individual ommatidia and by studying naturally occurring pigment band patterns. New ommatidia are added to the eye along its anterior margin. This changes the directions of view of the older ommatidia with the greatest change occurring in the fovea. New ommatidia are added to the fovea medially, and old ones are removed laterally as their interommatidial angles and directions of view in the visual field change. Over one-third of the aeshnid ommatidia are foveal during at least one of the early larval instars, and are then used for peripheral vision later in development. The design of each ommatidium is a compromise so that it is adapted for all stages of development, but sometimes better adapted for one instar than for others. Factors which are balanced for best vision are lens diameter, facet admission function, interommatidial angle, and inclination of the optic axis to the eye surface. Ommatidia are described in terms of these factors throughout their life history, from initial differentiation anteriorly, through passage through the fovea, to their final relatively posterior location.