Elsevier

Animal Behaviour

Volume 33, Issue 1, February 1985, Pages 254-265
Animal Behaviour

Court and spark: electric signals in the courtship and mating of gymnotoid fish

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(85)80139-1Get rights and content

Abstract

By mimicking tropical rainy season conditions in aquaria, we stimulated two species of gymnotoid electric fish, Eigenmannia virescens and Apteronotus leptorhynchus, to spawn in captivity. Their courtship activity, breeding behaviour and electric social communication were monitored in several groups over 2 years. Groups of both species established dominance hierarchies correlated with electric organ discharge frequency, aggressiveness and size. Spawning was preceded by several nights of courtship during which the male modulated its electric organ discharge to produce ‘chirps’. Continual bouts of chirping lasted for hours on evenings prior to spawning. These electrical signals play a significant role in courtship and spawning, as gravid E. virescens females could be stimulated to spawn by playing back into the tank a tape recording of male courtship chirps. In both species the chirp invovves a slight increase in frequency followed by a cessation of the dominant frequency. This suggests a common mode of signal production in these two different genera of fish. Chirps are short and abrupt during aggressive encounters, but assume a softer and more raspy quality during courtship.

References (20)

  • CrewsD.

    Effects of different components of male courtship behaviour on environmentally induced ovarian recrudescence and mating preferences in the lizard Anolis carolinensis

    Anim. Behav.

    (1975)
  • SchleidtW.M.

    Tonic communication: continual effects of discrete signs in animal communication systems

    J. theor. Biol.

    (1973)
  • BellC.C. et al.

    Electric organ discharge patterns during dominance-related behavioral displays in Gnathonemus petersii

    J. comp. Physiol.

    (1974)
  • Black-CleworthP.

    The role of electric discharges in the non-reproductive behaviour of Gymnotus carapo

    Anim. Behav. Monogr.

    (1970)
  • BullockT.H.

    Species differences in effect of electroreceptor input on electric organ pacemakers and other aspects of behavior in electric fish

    Brain Behav. Evol.

    (1969)
  • BullockT.H. et al.

    The jamming avoidance response of high frequency electric fish. I. General features

    J. comp. Physiol.

    (1972)
  • BullockT.H. et al.

    Comparison of the jamming avoidance response in gymnotoid and gymnarchid electric fish: a case of convergent evolution of behavior and its sensory basis

    J. comp. Physiol.

    (1975)
  • HeiligenbergW.

    Electrolocation and jamming avoidance in the electric fish, Gymnarchus niloticus

    J. comp. Physiol.

    (1975)
  • HeiligenbergW.

    Electrolocation and jamming avoidance in the mormyrid fish, Brienomyrus

    J. comp. Physiol.

    (1976)
  • HeiligenbergW.

    Releasing and motivating functions of stimulus patterns in animal behavior: the ends of a spectrum

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (0)

*

Present address: Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornel Univeresity, Ithaca, NY 14853, U. S. A.

View full text