Meyer E P, Labhart T
Cell Tissue Res. 1981;216(3):491-501. doi: 10.1007/BF00238646.
The fine structure of the cornea in an anatomically and functionally specialized part of the honey bee's compound eye (dorsal rim area) was examined by light microscopy, transmission electron and scanning electron microscopy. Under incident illumination the cornea appears grey and cloudy, leaving only the centers of the corneal lenses clear. This is due to numerous pore canals that penetrate the cornea from the inside, ending a few micron below the outer surface. They consist of (1) a small cylindrical cellular evagination of a pigment cell (proximal), and (2) a rugged-walled, pinetree-shaped extracellular part (distal). The functional significance of these pore canals is discussed. It is concluded that their light scattering properties cause the wide visual fields of the photoreceptor cells measured electrophysiologically in the dorsal rim area, and that this is related to the way this eye region detects polarization in skylight.
通过光学显微镜、透射电子显微镜和扫描电子显微镜对蜜蜂复眼（背缘区）解剖学和功能上特化部分的角膜精细结构进行了研究。在入射光照明下，角膜呈现灰色且浑浊，仅角膜透镜的中心是清晰的。这是由于许多从内部穿透角膜的孔隙通道，这些通道在外表面下方几微米处终止。它们由（1）色素细胞的一个小圆柱形细胞内陷（近端）和（2）一个壁粗糙、松树状的细胞外部分（远端）组成。讨论了这些孔隙通道的功能意义。得出的结论是，它们的光散射特性导致了在背缘区通过电生理学测量的光感受器细胞的广阔视野，并且这与该眼区检测天空光偏振的方式有关。
