The mechanosensory system of the lateral line is a group of structures present in the cephalic region and in the trunk of fishes, connected to the eighth pair of cranial nerves and involved in behaviours like feeding, swimming, prey and predator detection,
rheotaxis, schooling, intraspecific communication and wave source location (Engelmann et al., 2002; Kasumyan, 2003; Modgans et al., 2003, 2004).
Sharks need the lateral line to locate odor sources:
rheotaxis and eddy chemotaxis.
In contrast blue crabs use an odour-gated
rheotaxis (Weissburg and Zimmer-Faust, 1994; Finelli et al., 1999).
In contrast, blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) use "odorguided
rheotaxis" while foraging (Weissburg et al.
ABSTRACT--We document how two species of desert aquatic insects use positive
rheotaxis to escape drought in desert rivers.
In addition, the direction and strength of wind and water currents provide secondary cues needed by some organisms to orient to odor plumes (i.e., via
rheotaxis or anemotaxis) (Mathewson and Hodgson 1972, Prokopy 1986, Zimmer-Faust et al.
(1996) notes that the main disadvantage of aquariums with water flow is that chemical stimulation can start the movement, but the unidirectional current perpetuates it in such a way, that the animal can respond mainly to
rheotaxis. In this context, Montemayor (1995) observed that M.
Rheotaxis and prey detection in uniform currents by Lake Michigan mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi).
Asterias rubens shows positive
rheotaxis moving upstream in the presence of water currents to locate its prey (Castilla & Crisp 1973) and uses tidal currents to detect and move towards mussel populations (Dare 1982).
In a study of captive leatherback hatchlings, both visual and chemical cues independently elicited increased biting behavior and orientation toward the cue (
rheotaxis), but when cues were combined, turtles disregarded chemical cues in the current and oriented toward the food visually (Constantino and Salmon, 2003).
Morphological development in relation to photo-taxis and
rheotaxis in the striped jack, Pseudocaranx dentex.