Primary Assay — Mexican Cavefish
Schooling
Astyanax mexicanus
Surface fish school strongly while cavefish do not. Polarization, nearest-neighbor distance, and shoaling cohesion benchmark social behavior evolution.
Quantitative Output
Measured Parameters
Every parameter is automatically tracked frame-by-frame in the ConductVision pipeline for Astyanax mexicanus.
| Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Polarization | index | Group heading alignment |
| Nearest-neighbor distance | BL | Inter-fish spacing in body lengths |
| Shoaling time | % | Time within group |
| Cohesion radius | BL | Group spread |
References
Citations for Schooling
- Kowalko JE, et al. (2013). Loss of schooling behavior in cavefish through sight-dependent and sight-independent mechanisms. Curr Biol, 23(19), 1874-1883. PMID: 24035545
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
Vibration Attraction Behavior (VAB)
Astyanax mexicanus
Cavefish are attracted to mechanical vibrations via enhanced lateral-line input. Approach latency to a vibrating rod ind…
15
Feeding Posture
Astyanax mexicanus
Cavefish forage at a steeper angle than surface fish, an adaptation to substrate feeding in darkness. Feeding-angle dist…
Run Schooling on ConductVision
Our team will configure the protocol, camera rig, and analysis pipeline for your mexican cavefish facility.
