lateral line

American  

noun

1. the line, or system of lines, of sensory structures along the head and sides of fishes and amphibians, by which the animal is believed to detect water current and pressure changes and vibrations.

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lateral line Scientific  

1. A series of tubelike canals along the head and sides of fish and some amphibians by which vibrations, as from water currents, and changes in pressure are detected.

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Etymology

Origin of lateral line

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

By contrast, most aquatic vertebrates have a lateral line that is streamlined near the animal’s tail and only becomes complex near their head.

From Salon • Feb. 10, 2025

Instead, like many aquatic vertebrates, the fish apparently relies on its lateral line — a system of sense organs that can detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2015

This is a video of a lateral line, an organ that allows fish to sense water movement, developing in a zebra fish.

From Reuters • Apr. 27, 2015

Like sharks, bony fishes have a lateral line system that detects vibrations in water.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

The nervous system of this intricate machinery is formed by the two long branches of the pneumo-gastric nerves, which in fishes usually run under each lateral line.

From Curiosities of Medical Experience by Millingen, J. G. (John Gideon)