Evolution of the vestibulolateral lobe of the cerebellum in electroreceptive and nonelectroreceptive teleosts

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Abstract
The organization of the vestibulolateral lobe of the cerebellum is described in electroreceptive and closely related nonelectroreceptive teleost fishes. The vestibulolateral lobe includes an eminentia granularis and a lobus caudalis. The eminentia granularis is a lateral line‐recipient, granule cell zone which in weakly electric fish (i.e., electroreceptive fish with an electric organ) has anterior and posterior divisions associated respectively with a mechanoreceptive medial medullary nucles and an electroreceptive lateral line lobe. A lobus caudalis includes a separate granule cell zone—the pars medialis, a molecular layer, and large Purkinje‐like cells. Compared with weakly electric mormyrids, the pars medialis is hypertrophied in weakly electric gymnotoids and electroreceptive silurids. However, the pars medialis is also hypertrophied in nonelectroreceptive teleosts, suggesting it is a granule cell zone not associated with electroreception and perhaps the lateral line system.