A small organ of balance and orientation in some aquatic invertebrates, consisting of a sensory vesicle or cell containing statoliths.
〔动〕平衡泡，平衡囊；平衡胞；平衡器。亦称OTOCYST
Also called otocyst
Example sentencesExamples
These statocysts are filled with fluid and lined with sensory cells.
Acanthaster planci are insensitive to touch and gravity, as they lack statocysts.
There are tiny sense organs called statocysts with which food can be detected, but otherwise no trace of eyes or other features normally associted with a head.
Turbellarians sense their environment with statocysts, chemoreceptors, and photoreceptors.
In addition, the association of statocysts with mechanoreceptors further suggests that these ancient sense organs are distantly related to the vertebrate ear, linking sight and sound.
Definition of statocyst in US English:
statocyst
nounˈstadəˌsist
Zoology
A small organ of balance and orientation in some aquatic invertebrates, consisting of a sensory vesicle or cell containing statoliths.
〔动〕平衡泡，平衡囊；平衡胞；平衡器。亦称OTOCYST
Also called otocyst
Example sentencesExamples
Acanthaster planci are insensitive to touch and gravity, as they lack statocysts.
There are tiny sense organs called statocysts with which food can be detected, but otherwise no trace of eyes or other features normally associted with a head.
In addition, the association of statocysts with mechanoreceptors further suggests that these ancient sense organs are distantly related to the vertebrate ear, linking sight and sound.
These statocysts are filled with fluid and lined with sensory cells.
Turbellarians sense their environment with statocysts, chemoreceptors, and photoreceptors.