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Ocellus
 

Information About

Ocelli




with three ocelli (centre), and the Dorsal part of Compound Eyes (left)]]

An ocellus (plural: '''ocelli''') is a type of Photoreceptor organ in animals. Also called "simple eyes", ocelli are miniature Eyes capable of sensing light but not distinguishing its direction. See also Stemmata , which are structurally similar. Ocelli are found in many Invertebrate s. Insect s in particular have two types of ocelli, '''dorsal ocelli''' and '''lateral ocelli'''.


PHOTORECEPTORS

In Insect s, ocelli are involved (along with Compound Eye s) in the horizon-detecting response, decreasing the latency between horizon changes and the Insect 's response.


Dorsal Ocelli

Dorsal ocelli are light-sensitive organs on the Dorsal surface or on the top of the head. There are generally three, forming a triangle.

They consist of a few dozen Rod Cell s covered with a Cornea l lens. In some species, such as Locust s, dorsal ocelli may contain several hundreds of retinula cells. Insects with dorsal ocelli also have Compound Eye s.


Lateral Ocelli

Lateral ocelli have a mixture of Rod Cell s and Cone Cell s and are found on the sides of the head, one to six on each side.

Lateral ocelli are the only eyes of the larvae of several orders of insects ( Flea s, Springtail s, Silverfish , and Strepsiptera ).


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