TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex-specific difference in agonistic sounds depends on size of sonic organs in fishes
T2 - Testing the hypothesis in the croaking gourami (Labyrinth fishes)
AU - Mischling, Elean
AU - Ladich, Friedrich
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Peter Schausberger for his help with the digital microscope system and Michael Stachowitch for scientific English proofreading. This study was partly funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF grant no. 31045 to F.L.).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
PY - 2023/7/31
Y1 - 2023/7/31
N2 - In most vocal fish species, females possess smaller sound-generating organs and vocalize less than males. In certain cases females lack sonic organs, in others differences between sexes are unknown. This study analyzes in detail the relationship between sexual dimorphism of sonic organs and the characteristics of agonistic behavior and of sounds recorded under the same behavioral conditions in a vocal fish species, the croaking gourami Trichopsis vittata. During agonistic contests both sexes stretch and pluck two enhanced (sonic) tendons when beating pectoral fins alternately, resulting in a series of double-pulsed bursts, termed croaking sound. The following anatomical, behavioral, and acoustic variables were analyzed: diameter of enhanced tendons in each specimen, duration of same-sex dyadic contests, number and duration of lateral display bouts and of sounds, number of single- and double-pulsed bursts, burst period, peak-to-peak amplitudes of pulses, dominant frequency and sound pressure level (SPLrms). Female sonic tendons were approximately one-fifth smaller than male's of the same size. Six out of seven behavioral variables did not differ between sexes. Sound characteristics were similar in both sexes except for SPLs, which were on average 5 dB lower in females. The degree of sexual dimorphisms in sonic organs may explain differences in sound characteristics. Sounds differ only in one sound characteristic (SPLrms) in T. vittata, in contrast with the congeneric Trichopsis pumila which possesses a more pronounced sexual dimorphism in sonic organs and in which agonistic sounds differ in all sound properties between sexes.
AB - In most vocal fish species, females possess smaller sound-generating organs and vocalize less than males. In certain cases females lack sonic organs, in others differences between sexes are unknown. This study analyzes in detail the relationship between sexual dimorphism of sonic organs and the characteristics of agonistic behavior and of sounds recorded under the same behavioral conditions in a vocal fish species, the croaking gourami Trichopsis vittata. During agonistic contests both sexes stretch and pluck two enhanced (sonic) tendons when beating pectoral fins alternately, resulting in a series of double-pulsed bursts, termed croaking sound. The following anatomical, behavioral, and acoustic variables were analyzed: diameter of enhanced tendons in each specimen, duration of same-sex dyadic contests, number and duration of lateral display bouts and of sounds, number of single- and double-pulsed bursts, burst period, peak-to-peak amplitudes of pulses, dominant frequency and sound pressure level (SPLrms). Female sonic tendons were approximately one-fifth smaller than male's of the same size. Six out of seven behavioral variables did not differ between sexes. Sound characteristics were similar in both sexes except for SPLs, which were on average 5 dB lower in females. The degree of sexual dimorphisms in sonic organs may explain differences in sound characteristics. Sounds differ only in one sound characteristic (SPLrms) in T. vittata, in contrast with the congeneric Trichopsis pumila which possesses a more pronounced sexual dimorphism in sonic organs and in which agonistic sounds differ in all sound properties between sexes.
KW - agonistic behavior
KW - croaking sounds
KW - sound pressure level
KW - sound-generating mechanism
KW - teleost fishes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85166414681&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jez.2734
DO - 10.1002/jez.2734
M3 - Article
C2 - 37522465
AN - SCOPUS:85166414681
VL - 339
SP - 838
EP - 852
JO - Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology
JF - Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology
SN - 2471-5638
IS - 9
ER -