Fovea

The fovea is an area of the compound eye that provides greater visual acuity than the rest of the insect's eye. Not all insect species possess a fovea, those that do are often those that rely on good vision - such as dragonflies and other aerial predators.

A photograph of an adult male Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly (Libellula depressa). Aerial predators, such as dragonflies, often possess a fovea.

Fovea is also a term that can be used to describe pits or dents in an insect's exoskeleton.

Related terms

• Compound eye
• Facet
• Ocelli
• Ommatidia

Related groups of terms

• Invertebrate body structure

See other words beginning with F