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Fly rhabdomeres twist in vivo

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Summary

Electron-microscopic examination shows that the rhabdomeres of the visual cells ofMusca domestica twist in the manner typical ofCalliphora erythrocephala andDrosophila melanogaster. More-over, it can be demonstrated that the rhabdomere section shown by Ribi (1979, Fig. 2) is from a twisting rhabdomere. Rhabdomere twist appears to be a wide-spread feature of dipteran eyes.

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We are most grateful to Dr. Ribi for his readiness to allow us access to his original documents, for demonstrating the techniques he used, and for providing us with a preparation of theMusca domestica eye that he had treated and embedded. Dr. Marguerite Biederman-Thorson has translated the manuscript into English.

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Smola, U., Wunderer, H. Fly rhabdomeres twist in vivo. J. Comp. Physiol. 142, 43–49 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00605474

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