Hearing in bony fishes

Abstract

In a recent definition of sound and hearing, primary stress is laid on the aspect of localization (Pumphrey 1950). However, there are fishes which react vividly to sounds and yet are unable to locate the sound source (v. Frisch & Dijkgraaf 1935; Reinhardt 1935). Therefore we would prefer a more conventional definition and ascribe the ability of hearing only to those animals which first are shown to be sensi­tive to air- or water-borne sound, i. e. to a succession of pressure waves propagating with a characteristic velocity through the medium involved, and which secondly detect these stimuli with special receptors primarily used for this purpose. If the latter condition is not fulfilled we merely speak of sound reception. Responsiveness to sound or vibrations reaching the animal through the solid substrate will be termed vibration reception.