341
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
J.A. Sisneros (ed.), Fish Hearing and Bioacoustics, Advances in Experimental
Medicine and Biology 877, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-21059-9_16
Diversity of Inner Ears in Fishes: Possible
Contribution Towards Hearing Improvements
and Evolutionary Considerations
Tanja Schulz-Mirbach and Friedrich Ladich
Abstract Fishes have evolved the largest diversity of inner ears among vertebrates.
While G. Retzius introduced us to the diversity of the gross morphology of fi sh ears
in the late nineteenth century, it was A. N. Popper who unraveled the large variety
of the fi ne structure during the last four decades. Modifi cations of the basic inner ear
structure—consisting of three semicircular canals and their sensory epithelia, the cristae and three otolithic end organs (utricle, saccule, lagena) including the maculae—
mainly relate to the saccule and lagena and the respective sensory epithelia, the macula
sacculi and macula lagenae. Despite the profound morphological knowledge of inner
ears and the morphological variability, the functional signifi cance of this diversity is
still largely unknown. The aims of this review are therefore twofold. First it provides an update of the state of the art of inner ear diversity in bony fi shes. Second it
summarizes and discusses hypotheses on the evolution of this diversity as well as
formulates open questions and promising approaches to tackle these issues.
Keywords Osteichthyes • Teleostei • Sensory epithelium • Orientation pattern of
ciliary bundles • Ancillary auditory structures • Otolith
1 Introduction
Retzius ( 1881 ) was the fi rst to give a detailed description and illustration of inner
ear diversity in fi shes, followed by Bierbaum ( 1914 ), Yamamoto ( 1929 ), and Froese
( 1938 ). These studies revealed a large diversity of the morphology of the inner ear.
This diversity is refl ected in the size and position of the end organs relative to each
other, in their sensory epithelia (termed cristae or maculae) and the hard parts,
T. Schulz-Mirbach (*)
Department Biology II , Ludwig-Maximilians-University ,
Großhaderner Strasse 2 , 82152 Planegg-Martinsried , Germany
e-mail: schulz-mirbach@biologie.uni-muenchen.de
F. Ladich
Department of Behavioural Biology , University of Vienna ,
Althanstrasse 14 , 1090 Vienna , Austria
e-mail: friedrich.ladich@univie.ac.at
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
J.A. Sisneros (ed.), Fish Hearing and Bioacoustics, Advances in Experimental
Medicine and Biology 877, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-21059-9_16
Diversity of Inner Ears in Fishes: Possible
Contribution Towards Hearing Improvements
and Evolutionary Considerations
Tanja Schulz-Mirbach and Friedrich Ladich
Abstract Fishes have evolved the largest diversity of inner ears among vertebrates.
While G. Retzius introduced us to the diversity of the gross morphology of fi sh ears
in the late nineteenth century, it was A. N. Popper who unraveled the large variety
of the fi ne structure during the last four decades. Modifi cations of the basic inner ear
structure—consisting of three semicircular canals and their sensory epithelia, the cristae and three otolithic end organs (utricle, saccule, lagena) including the maculae—
mainly relate to the saccule and lagena and the respective sensory epithelia, the macula
sacculi and macula lagenae. Despite the profound morphological knowledge of inner
ears and the morphological variability, the functional signifi cance of this diversity is
still largely unknown. The aims of this review are therefore twofold. First it provides an update of the state of the art of inner ear diversity in bony fi shes. Second it
summarizes and discusses hypotheses on the evolution of this diversity as well as
formulates open questions and promising approaches to tackle these issues.
Keywords Osteichthyes • Teleostei • Sensory epithelium • Orientation pattern of
ciliary bundles • Ancillary auditory structures • Otolith
1 Introduction
Retzius ( 1881 ) was the fi rst to give a detailed description and illustration of inner
ear diversity in fi shes, followed by Bierbaum ( 1914 ), Yamamoto ( 1929 ), and Froese
( 1938 ). These studies revealed a large diversity of the morphology of the inner ear.
This diversity is refl ected in the size and position of the end organs relative to each
other, in their sensory epithelia (termed cristae or maculae) and the hard parts,
T. Schulz-Mirbach (*)
Department Biology II , Ludwig-Maximilians-University ,
Großhaderner Strasse 2 , 82152 Planegg-Martinsried , Germany
e-mail: schulz-mirbach@biologie.uni-muenchen.de
F. Ladich
Department of Behavioural Biology , University of Vienna ,
Althanstrasse 14 , 1090 Vienna , Austria
e-mail: friedrich.ladich@univie.ac.at