How Do Ants Improve Eyesight?
WouterSeveral species of ants have simple eyes called ocelli. These ocelli are found in flying ants, but only in some species. They are located on either side of the midline of the head, on the dorsal surface. They are arranged in an equilateral triangle formation.
Ants are not very good at seeing far away objects. They use a combination of other senses to navigate. Ants can see things at distances of 1-20 cm. Depending on the species, they can also detect colors. Some ants can also see ultraviolet light.
Most ant species have three simple eyes. However, there are some species that have a fourth simple eye. They have additional eyes on their heads. These are called ommatidia. These are tiny lens bulbs that help ants focus on objects.
Studies of ant eyes have focused on how these animals recognize landmark cues. They also have been studied to see how ants use their senses in different environments. Some researchers have also looked at extraocular sensitivities.
Studies of ant spectral sensitivities have shown that ants can perceive polarized light. They also have been shown to have better color vision than most mammals. Ants also have a compound eye that consists of a number of ommatidia. These ommatidia determine how far an ant can see.
In addition to the ocelli, ants have a specialized photoreceptor located in their compound eye. These photoreceptors have orthogonally arranged microvilli that encode polarization information. These specialized photoreceptors are adapted to receive polarized skylight.
