Abstract
Fish vocalisation is often a major component of underwater soundscapes. Therefore, interpretation of these soundscapes requires an understanding of the vocalisation characteristics of common soniferous fish species. This study of captive female bluefin gurnard, Chelidonichthys kumu, aims to formally characterise their vocalisation sounds and daily pattern of sound production. Four types of sound were produced and characterised, twice as many as previously reported in this species. These sounds fit two aural categories; grunt and growl, the mean peak frequencies for which ranged between 129 to 215 Hz. This species vocalized throughout the 24 hour period at an average rate of (18.5 ± 2.0 sounds fish-1 h-1) with an increase in vocalization rate at dawn and dusk. Competitive feeding did not elevate vocalisation as has been found in other gurnard species. Bluefin gurnard are common in coastal waters of New Zealand, Australia and Japan and, given their vocalization rate, are likely to be significant contributors to ambient underwater soundscape in these areas.
Highlights
IntroductionThe sound production mechanism in fish is not analogous to the laryngeal mechanism in other vertebrates, this behaviour is commonly termed vocalisation [1,2]
Many teleost fish produce species-specific sounds using specialised sonic organs
Sounds produced by the bluefin gurnard consisted of short and repeated low frequency pulses
Summary
The sound production mechanism in fish is not analogous to the laryngeal mechanism in other vertebrates, this behaviour is commonly termed vocalisation [1,2]. Fish vocalisation is a major contributor to the biotic component of ambient underwater sound in many coastal areas often making a significant contribution to sound energy in the frequency range between 100– 1000 Hz [3,4]. Identification of these soniferous fishes requires ‘sound-truthing’ individual species in isolation since identification in the wild can lead to confusion as to the identity of acoustic source [5]. The call repertoire, behavioural context and temporal patterns of vocalisation are less well known in fish than in other vertebrates [6]
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