Structural changes in light- and dark-adapted compound eyes of the australian earwig Labidura riparia truncata (dermaptera)

The apposition acone eye of Labidura is relatively small—550–600 facets—with a thick corneal lens and shallow retina. The retinula cell columns are each formed of six peripheral cells plus two central cells, a partially fused rhabdom, and dense pigment in two or three cell types. Upon adaptation from light to dark, the most striking photomechanical response is a proximal broadening of the cone cells, which results in a 38-fold increase in cross-sectional area of the aperture. While longitudinal rhabdom movement is small, microvillar diameters swell in response to light and contract in the dark. Irregularities of facet pattern and shape, and in ommatidial alignment were found, particularly towards eye margins. Three types of interommatidial sense organs on the eye surface are described, one of which has not been previously reported. An argument is presented to explain how the field of view and sensitivity are both apparently decreased in the acone eye by exposure to light.