Rhabdom

The rhabdom (from the Greek rhabdos = “rod, rod”) is the light-guiding axis rod within an ommatidium of the complex eye , or a point eye ( ocellus ) of an arthropod . It is formed by the 5 to 9 microvilli fringes of the retinula cells, also called rhabdomers . There are large amounts of the visual pigment ( e.g. rhodopsin ) that absorbs the light energy. The light is directed there via the corneal lens and the crystal cells or a crystal cone.

Secondary separation of the rhabdomers can occur, this is called "open rhabdom" and can be found in the neural superposition eyes, for example, in some hymenoptera or beetle species .

literature

• Herder Lexicon of Biology. Spectrum Akademischer Verlag GmbH, Heidelberg 2003. ISBN 3-8274-0354-5