Researchers from Moscow State University and colleagues from the USA have presented a new reconstruction of the visual system of very small parasitic insects Megaphragma viggianii. They compared this to the visual systems of large insects such as bees and flies. This research could help create visual system models for other insects.
Researchers typically study the nervous system of insects such as fruit flies. But these studies have their own problems, including the difficulty of removing certain parts of the body to obtain good data. The researchers used Megaphragma viggianii as a study subject because they are small and have neural connections similar to other insects.
They obtained high-resolution images of Megaphragma’s head and reconstructed its visual system. They then compared this to fly and bee systems. Scientists have discovered some differences in the size and structure of the eyes. They also found that certain parts of the Megaphragma eye are specialized for detecting a particular type of light.
Source: Ferra
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