The population of retinal ganglion cells which
project ipsilaterally in the brain was examined in the
fat-tailed dunnart, Sminthopsis crassicaudata,
following injection of horseradish peroxidase into one
optic tract. Retinae were examined as wholemounts and optic
nerves as serial sections. In addition, visual fields were
measured ophthalmoscopically. Ipsilaterally projecting
ganglion cells were located temporal to a line which ran
vertically through the middle of the area centralis
and extended medially to define a ventrolateral crescent.
Temporal to the naso-temporal division, a mean of 77% of
ganglion cells projected ipsilaterally; these cells represented
20% of the total ganglion cell population. The magnitude
and retinal location of the ipsilateral projection correlated
with the extensive binocular field which measured 180 deg
in the vertical (from 20 deg below the horizontal axis
to 70 deg beyond the zenith) and 140 deg in horizontal
meridian. Ipsilaterally projecting axons were restricted
to the lateral third of the optic nerve along its length,
sharing territory with contralaterally projecting axons.