J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014 Jul 01;2007:657-67. doi: 10.1007/s00359-014-0911-5.

African clawed toads (Xenopus laevis) sense the distance of lateral line stimuli.

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Sighted African clawed toads use their lateral lines to detect stimulus distance, although accuracy and precision are poorer than for stimulus direction. Single surface wave trains elicited discrete turns and/or swims towards the wave origin. Most responses were brief, ending with the toad stationary (70% overall; 54-86% individual toads) or pausing before turning away (11%; 1-24%). Lunges or capturing movements with the arms (13%; 10-22%) also indicated where toads expected to find prey. Overall, 94% (88-100%) of oriented responses had well-defined endpoints. Swim distance--measured as means, medians, and upper and lower quartiles--and the number of bilateral leg kicks increased with stimulus distance. Swim distance also depended upon stimulus angle due to features of turning. Most responses (81%; 62-92%) ended short of the wave origin. Regression slopes were 0.45 ± 0.04 mm/mm for stimulus distances up to 85 mm (ca. 2-3x body lengths), 0.16 ± 0.07 mm/mm for distances of 85-130 mm, and non-significant for larger distances to 220 mm. Slopes were steeper for responses that included lunges or capture movements. In only 15% (3-26%) of responses were both turn direction and swim distance sufficiently accurate for the toad to sweep through the wave origin.

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Species referenced: Xenopus laevis
Genes referenced: kidins220 pigy

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