Comparative studies on the Mauthner cell of teleost fish in relation to sensory input.

Most physiological and behavioral studies of the Mauthner cells have used the goldfish and a few other fish from the superorder Ostariophysi, series Otophysi (= otophysans). We first provide some background and recent findings on the Mauthner cells of otophysan fish and then compare this information to that known about the Mauthner cells in certain non-otophysan fish. These comparisons are meant to provide the impetus for a comparative approach to understanding the role of the Mauthner cells in behavior.