Fig. 1

Sensory laterality in surface fish and cavefish populations of Astyanax mexicanus. VAB videos were analyzed using a home-developed Python script and a DeepLabCut deep learning algorithm. This method allowed us to detect the number of times fish made left or right approaches with their heads toward the vibrating rod (NOA) and the associated duration they spent within a 1.3-cm radius from the vibrating rod (DIR). A Video image (left) and schematic representation (right) of fish and the vibrating rod labeled with three markers on the head (left, center, and right) and one marker on the caudal fin. The left or right approaches were detected when the left or right side of the head was closer to the vibrating rod within the 1.3-cm radius. B Superficial neuromasts (SNs) in the infraorbital region (IO3 region delimited by a yellow line) were stained with 4-Di-1-ASP vital dye. C NOA data for the lab-raised populations indicated that Pachón cavefish showed the highest NOA values. The bars in the pirate plots represent means ± standard errors of the means (each population, n = 20). *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; and ***P < 0.001. Statistical scores are shown in Supplementary Table 1. D–G The number of SNs in the left or right IO3 area plotted against the total NOA in surface fish (D) and Los Sabinos (E), Tinaja (F), and Pachón cavefish (G). Correlation analyses (D–G) were performed with non-parametric Kendall’s tau (τ). Statistical scores are available in Additional file 1: Table S2