Meeting Abstract
Elacatinus lori is a shallow reef-dwelling goby from Belizean coral reefs that lives exclusively in tube sponges. It is being used as a model for the study of population connectivity and mechanisms of navigation during the pelagic larval phase. The lateral line system of gobies is characterized by a complex proliferation of superficial neuromasts arranged in numerous lines, which are quite difficult to interpret. However, the ability to rear E. lori from hatch through settlement provides insights not only into the ontogeny of sensory anatomy and putative sensory capabilities, but can show how a complex spatial pattern of sensory organs develops, and ultimately how it has evolved. The ontogeny of the lateral line system in larval (pre-settlement) and juvenile (post-settlement) E. lori was analyzed. Twenty-four individuals (3 mm TL – 62 mm SL) were imaged using 4-di-2-ASP (fluorescent mitochondrial stain) revealing superficial neuromasts distributions on the head, trunk, and tail. Images were supplemented with data from paraffin histology, SEM, and µCT, providing additional information on neuromast and cranial lateral line canal morphology. Superficial neuromast distribution maps for larvae, juveniles, and adults showed that superficial neuromasts are present at hatch, after which simple superficial neuromasts lines develop on the head (>30), on the body (arranged vertically on body segments) and on the tail (3); superficial neuromasts are proliferated at the time of settlement. Superficial neuromast lines in E. lori were compared to those in other Elacatinus species, the sister genus Tigrigobius, and other gobiids to better understand the evolution of complex gobiid lateral line phenotypes. Funded by NSF grant 1459224 to JFW and NSF 1459546 to PMB.
