otolith /oto·lith/ (o´to-lith) statolith.
otolith
o·to·lith (  t -l th )n. 1. Any of numerous minute calcareous particles found in the inner ear of certain lower vertebrates and in the statocysts of many invertebrates. 2. See otosteon. o to·lithic adj. |
otolith
[ō′təlith]
Etymology: Gk, ous, ear, lithos, stone
1 a calculus in the middle ear.
2 any of the crystals of calcium carbonate attached to the hair cells of the inner ear as gravity orientation receptors.
otolith
an earstone; concretions of calcium carbonate and protein in the labyrinth of the inner ear and which move with every change in the posture of the head. Called also statolith.
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