ID#: 8002
Caption:
Under a magnification of 2917X, this scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicted a view of the exterior surface of a Western honeybee’s, Apis mellifera, compound eye. Each of the repeating hexagonal-shaped subunits is known as an ommatidium, and is composed of separate units made up of a photoreceptor cell, support cell, and pigment cell. Though each of these visual mechanisms functions as a separate organ, together they provide the organism with a compound mosaic of its environment. Due to what is referred to as the flicker effect, the compound eye is made very sensitive to movement, with each of the ommatidia turning on and off, as objects pass across its field of view. The bilateral anatomical placement of the insect’s eyes provides it with a very wide range of visual sensitivity.
High Resolution: Click here for hi-resolution image (5.48 MB)
Content Provider(s): CDC/ Janice Haney Carr; Connie Flowers; and Pamela Munn of the International Bee Research Association, IBRA
Creation Date: 2005
Photo Credit: Janice Haney Carr
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Copyright Restrictions: Permission is not required for public domain images, however, these images are provided by CDC and are available for personal, professional, and educational use with appropriate attribution. Redistribution must credit CDC and, where known, the individual photographer, and identify the CDC website as the free source. For additional terms see Use of Agency Materials | Other | CDC