The Size of Ommatidia in Apposition Eyes
Open Access
- 1 December 1952
- journal article
- Published by The Company of Biologists in Journal Of Experimental Biology
- Vol. 29 (4), 667-674
- https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.29.4.667
Abstract
In a compound apposition eye the acuity may be limited by the interommatidial angle or by the optical performance of each ommatidium. In the honeybee the performance of the ommatidia must approach the theoretical limit set by diffraction if the whole eye resolves points separated by twice the inter-ommatidial angle. The eyes of twenty-seven other species of Hymenoptera were measured, and the results show that in eyes of different sizes the number of ommatidia is adjusted so that inter-ommatidial angle is just below the limiting resolving power of the ommatidia; this is the condition for optimum acuity in a compound apposition eye. When this condition is fulfilled the minimum resolvable angle is inversely proportional to the square root of the linear dimensions of the eye. Acuity increases with size more rapidly in the simple type of eye.Keywords
This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit:
- Ommatidienraster und afferente BewegungsintegrationJournal of Comparative Physiology A, 1951
- Das Bienenauge als Analysator für polarisiertes LichtZeitschrift für Naturforschung B, 1950
- Phototaktische Reaktionen der Bienen auf Lichter verschiedener WellenlängeJournal of Comparative Physiology A, 1933
- THE VISUAL ACUITY OF THE HONEY BEEThe Journal of general physiology, 1929
- Der Formensinn und die Sehsch rfe der BienenJournal of Comparative Physiology A, 1928