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Cephalopod Eye: Position and Size

Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003)

Cephalopoda Glossary


The usual position of the eye is within the head. Sometimes eyes may bulge out from the head somewhat but these are still called sessile eyes. The eye generally occupies nearly the full thickness of the head as seen in the first picture on the right. However, in a few species of decapodiforms and some octopods, the eye is greatly reduced in size as seen the preserved squid on the far right. Note the small eye-opening of this squid that is puckered into a small papilla on the side of the head.

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Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Figure. Left - Side view of the head of Abralia trigonura (fam. Enoploteuthidae). Right - Side view of the head of Promachoteuthis sp. C (fam. Promachoteuthidae).

In the family Cranchiidae, young squids often have the eyes on long stalks. These stalked eyes and their associated optic lobes extend well lateral to the head. The optic lobes connect to the central brain by long optic nerve stalks that can be seen in the photographs below.

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Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Figure. Anterior views of paralarvae of Megalocranchia fisheri. Photographs by R. Young. 

About This Page


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA


National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA

Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003)
Laboratoire Arago, Banyuls-Sur-Mer, France

Page: Tree of Life Cephalopod Eye: Position and Size Authored by Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003). The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

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