The Hearing Sensitivity of the Little Skate, Raja erinacea: A Comparison of Two Methods

We determined the hearing sensitivity of the little skate, Raja erinacea using two methods: Behavioral conditioning and the auditory brainstem response (ABR). This marks the first time that the hearing in any member of the Rajiformes has been examined and the first time that the ABR method has been used with an elasmobranch. We obtained audiograms of R. erinacea using each method and were found to be statistically similar. The best hearing sensitivity for R. erinacea was between 100 and 300Hz. We compared the audiograms to audiograms obtained from other species of elasmobranchs. This analysis showed that R. erinacea, a bottom-dwelling elasmobranch, has less sensitive hearing than the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris, and the bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, a free-swimming, raptorial elasmobranch. However, R. erinacea showed sensitivity comparable to that of the horn shark, Heterodontus francisi, another bottom-dwelling elasmobranch; both species feed primarily on benthic prey. These findings are in agreement with Corwin's hypothesis (1978) that hearing sensitivity is correlated with feeding behavior. An examination of the macula neglecta of R. erinacea found a total count of 10000 hair cells, which is within the range of other bottom-dwelling elasmobranchs.