Some aspects of the retinal organization of Sympycnus lineatus loew (Diptera, dolichopodidae)

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S. lineatus has a compound eye that contains alternating rows of two types of ommatidia which differ by the structural colors of their corneal facets (red and yellow) and also by the orientation of the rhabdomeric microvilli in their superior central cells. However, the orientation of the microvilli in the inferior central cells is the same in all ommatidia. In ommatidia with red facets the main axes of the microvilli in both central cells are parallel and vertical, while in those with yellow facets the axes have an orthogonal arrangement similar to that reported in other Diptera. Alternating rows of two types of facets coupled with the projection pattern of photoreceptor axons onto the lamina implies two types of optical cartridges.

These results imply that the corneal interference filters causing the facet colors have neurological representations in the visual centers and therefore can serve a visual function, possibly as the first elements of a color contrast enhancement system.

Central cells with vertical microvilli are partially blind to horizontally polarized surface glare and so are particularly apt for prey detection through a water surface or against leaves, grass, or mud.

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  • Cited by (0)

    1

    Present address: Instituto de Investigación de Ciencias Biológicas, Laboratorio de Neuroanatomia Comparada, Departamento de Ultraestructura Celular, Montevideo, Uruguay.

    2

    Research partially supported by NIH grant NSO 866902.

    3

    This work is supported in part by research grant EY00089, and research career development award EY48264 from the National Eye Institute, USPHS, by NSF Institutional Grant GU-2730, and by the Connecticut Lions Eye Research Foundation, Inc.

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