About the Cover.

Abstract

Next article FreeAbout the CoverPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreCoverThe yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis, shown here is a common, reef-associated species found in the Western Atlantic from the southern United States, throughout the Caribbean, and down to Brazil. Like all elasmobranch fishes (sharks, skates, and rays) this species uses electroreception to locate prey. The electroreceptor pores are broadly distributed over both the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the body. On the cover, a stingray is photographed lying directly on top of a mirror, which facilitates visualization of both the dorsal and ventral surfaces simultaneously. Although elasmobranchs are well known for their ability to detect the weak electric fields generated by their prey, it was unknown whether they could determine the polarity of an electric field. Electric fields, like batteries, have a positive and a negative pole. The ability to discriminate between poles could provide important spatial information on the orientation of their prey.In the study by Siciliano et al. (p. 85), stingrays were conditioned to associate either the anode or cathode of a dipole electric field with a food reward. The authors found that during testing, the rays would bite more frequently at the pole to which they were conditioned. These results demonstrate that the stingrays could successfully discriminate between the poles of a dipole electric field. This new discovery about the elasmobranch electrosensory system comes more than 50 years after the first demonstration of electroreception and 40 years after physiology experiments suggested that they might be able to discriminate positive from negative.Credits: Photo, Stephen Kajiura, Florida Atlantic University; cover design, Beth Liles, Marine Biological Laboratory. Next article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Biological Bulletin Volume 225, Number 2October 2013 Published in association with the Marine Biological Laboratory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/BBLv225n2cover Views: 60 © 2013 by Marine Biological Laboratory. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.