Primary Assay — Mexican Cavefish
Lateral Line / Obstacle Avoidance
Astyanax mexicanus
Cavefish avoid obstacles in the dark using superficial neuromasts. Wall-following and obstacle-collision metrics quantify lateral-line-mediated navigation.
Quantitative Output
Measured Parameters
Every parameter is automatically tracked frame-by-frame in the ConductVision pipeline for Astyanax mexicanus.
| Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Wall-following time | % | Lateral-line use |
| Collision rate | collisions/min | Navigation accuracy |
| Distance to wall | BL | Stand-off distance |
| Mapping ability | index | Repeat-trial improvement |
References
Citations for Lateral Line / Obstacle Avoidance
- Patton P, et al. (2010). The role of the lateral line in feeding behavior of the Mexican blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus). J Exp Biol, 213, 4055-4064. PMID: 21075948
Compatible Equipment
Hardware for Mexican Cavefish Research
Aquatic Activity Tracker (24h)
Sleep/wake monitoring
Vibration Generator with Rod Probe
VAB assay
Schooling / Shoaling Arena
Social behavior quantification
Lateral-Line Stim System
Neuromast-based sensory testing
Multi-Tank Sleep Imaging Rig
Long-term rest assays
Related Assays
Other Mexican Cavefish Primary Assays
15
Sleep / Activity
Astyanax mexicanus
Cave morphs of Astyanax show dramatically reduced sleep relative to surface morphs. Total rest time, bout structure, and…
15
Schooling
Astyanax mexicanus
Surface fish school strongly while cavefish do not. Polarization, nearest-neighbor distance, and shoaling cohesion bench…
15
Vibration Attraction Behavior (VAB)
Astyanax mexicanus
Cavefish are attracted to mechanical vibrations via enhanced lateral-line input. Approach latency to a vibrating rod ind…
Run Lateral Line / Obstacle Avoidance on ConductVision
Our team will configure the protocol, camera rig, and analysis pipeline for your mexican cavefish facility.
