Epithelial sense organ containing the cupula housing a gelatinous material elongated from the basement of the organ toward the atrial cavity. The basement of the cupular organ consists of two cell types: sensory cells and support cell. [ http://dx.doi.org/10.2108/zsj.27.842 ]
Term information
possible homologues of neuromasts in the inner ear (Bone & Ryan, 1978; Wada et al 1998). In the tunicate cupular organ, the sensory cell is a primary neuron sending an axon to the CNS. The sensory cilium is within a deep indentation of the cell and is surrounded by a collar of short microvilli.