Local perturbations are detected by electroreceptors on the fish's body surface.
The body of Apteronotus is covered with approximately 15,000 specialized tuberous electoreceptor organs for detecting perturbations in it's own electric field. Each electroreceptor organ consists of a small (approx 0.1 mm diameter) pit in the skin with a
right shows a cross-sectional view of a single tuberous electroreceptor organ. Each electroreceptor organ gives rise to a single afferent nerve fiber which conveys sensory information to the brain.
The electroreceptor organ density is highest in the head region of the fish (approx. 10-20 per mm2) and we sometimes think of the head as the "electrosensory fovea." The density is lower on the trunk (approx. 1-3 per mm2). On the trunk, the density is hi
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