The dorso-lateral pit organs of the Port Jackson shark contribute sensory information for rheotaxis

Resting Port Jackson sharks Heterodontus portusjacksoni with dorso-lateral pit organs ablated oriented with a mean angle of 263 degree to the current direction in a flume. This was significantly different (P< 0.01) to controls (normal and sham operated) who had a pooled mean angle of 44 degree to the current. Thus the dorso-lateral pit organs of H. portusjacksoni, like the free neuromasts of some teleosts, provide sensory information for rheotaxis. Copyright 2001 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles