Which feature best describes compound eyes in insects?

Which feature best describes compound eyes in insects?

• A. Fused single lens (simple eye)
• B. Compound eyes
• C. A single large eye
• D. A tactile antenna

Answer: (B)

Compound eyes in insects are built from many tiny units called ommatidia, each with its own lens and photoreceptor cells. This mosaic of individual lenses gives a very wide field of view and excellent motion detection, because movement can be picked up across many ommatidia quickly. In contrast, a simple eye uses a single lens and provides higher resolution over a smaller area, not the broad vision insects rely on. A single large eye isn’t typical for insects, and a tactile antenna is a sensing organ for touch and smell, not vision. So the defining feature is the many ommatidia with their own lenses that collectively form the compound eye.

Compound eyes in insects are built from many tiny units called ommatidia, each with its own lens and photoreceptor cells. This mosaic of individual lenses gives a very wide field of view and excellent motion detection, because movement can be picked up across many ommatidia quickly. In contrast, a simple eye uses a single lens and provides higher resolution over a smaller area, not the broad vision insects rely on. A single large eye isn’t typical for insects, and a tactile antenna is a sensing organ for touch and smell, not vision. So the defining feature is the many ommatidia with their own lenses that collectively form the compound eye.