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The sensory hairs and tectorial membrane of the basilar papilla in the lizardCalotes versicolor

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Journal of Neurocytology

Summary

The hearing organ in the lizard, the basilar papilla, is an oblong organ situated in the central opening of the surrounding limbus. The hair cells of the basilar papilla inCalotes versicolor consist of two different types. The type A sensory cells have short hair bundles whose arrangement resembles that of organ pipes, and are situated in the ventral part of the organ. The type B sensory cells have tall, whisk-like hair bundles and are situated in the dorsal part of the basilar papilla. The type A sensory cells are unidirectionally orientated, whereas the type B cells are orientated towards the central sulcus in the papilla. Between the stereocilia, quite close to their base, there is a thin network of interconnecting fibres. Another type of connection is found between the kinocilium and the five adjacent stereocilia. These fibres, however, are situated close to the tips of the relevant cilia. The ventral part of the basilar papilla, i.e., the type A cell population, is covered by a tectorial membrane. Between the microvilli of the supporting cells and the tectorial membrane a network of thin interconnecting filaments is seen. This totally encloses the hair bundles, thus causing them to stand in tubular formations between the sensory epithelium and the tectorial membrane.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Karolinska hospital, Sweden

    Dan Bagger-Sjöbäck & Jan Wersäll

  2. King Gustaf V Research Institute, S-104 01, Stockholm 60, Sweden

    Dan Bagger-Sjöbäck & Jan Wersäll

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  1. Dan Bagger-Sjöbäck
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  2. Jan Wersäll
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Bagger-Sjöbäck, D., Wersäll, J. The sensory hairs and tectorial membrane of the basilar papilla in the lizardCalotes versicolor . J Neurocytol 2, 329–350 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01104034

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01104034

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