Drosophila compound eye

Transmission electron microscope of a cross section through the compound eye of the Fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). The eye is made up of many small rounded units called ommatidia. One such unit is shown here center frame, with others surrounding it. Each ommatidium is made up of a cluster of cells surrounded by supporting cells. Inbetween each ommatidium is an individual bristle. This image has been coloured to highlight the different regions; the pinky-white areas show the individual cell nuclei that make up the ommatidium and the smaller circular region in lime green shows the cross section of the britles in between the ommatidium cells.