Event Abstract Back to Event Electrocommununication in social groups of weakly electric fish: a comparison of Mormyrus rume and Marcusenius altisambesi (Mormyridae, Teleostei) Kristina Gebhardt1, Miriam Böhme1 and Gerhard Von Der Emde1* 1 University of Bonn, Zoology, Germany African mormyrid fish generate and receive low-voltage electric signals (electric organ discharges, EODs) to sense nearby objects and for electrocommunication. With epidermal electroreceptors fish can perceive the highly stereotyped species-specific EOD waveforms of conspecifics, and thus can recognise each others presence and identity. In addition, Mormyrids can vary the inter-discharge intervals (IDIs) and create temporal situation dependent discharge patterns for electrocommunication. We investigated this special type of communication in two homogeneous groups of freely swimming weakly electric fish, Mormyrus rume (5 individuals) and Marcusenius altisambesi (4 individuals). Depending on the fishs’ positions in the experimental tank, it was possible to assign each recorded EOD to an individual sender. Thus, we could study the electrocommunication behaviour of every single group member in detail. During different situations like resting, foraging and aggressive encounters, we searched for behaviourally caused temporal patterns of IDIs between the fishes. The analysed sequences showed that both species performed complex situation-specific communication patterns, such as synchronised discharging, signalling in a fixed order or echo-responses between neighbours. By comparing the communication patterns of the two species, we found similarities, e.g. in fixed-order signalling, as well as differences, such as different IDI-patterns during resting or during aggressive encounters. For example during aggressive displays, M. rume showed extremely short IDIs that slowly increased in duration, a behaviour which was never found in M. altisambesi. Our results indicate that electrocommunication in group-living weakly electric fish plays an important role during social interactions and is highly complex. Keywords: electric organ discharges, electrocommunication, group living, interpulse interval, temporal pattern Conference: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation (see alternatives below as well) Topic: Communication Citation: Gebhardt K, Böhme M and Von Der Emde G (2012). Electrocommununication in social groups of weakly electric fish: a comparison of Mormyrus rume and Marcusenius altisambesi (Mormyridae, Teleostei). Conference Abstract: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00235 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Apr 2012; Published Online: 07 Jul 2012. * Correspondence: Dr. Gerhard Von Der Emde, University of Bonn, Zoology, Bonn, 53115, Germany, vonderemde@uni-bonn.de Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Kristina Gebhardt Miriam Böhme Gerhard Von Der Emde Google Kristina Gebhardt Miriam Böhme Gerhard Von Der Emde Google Scholar Kristina Gebhardt Miriam Böhme Gerhard Von Der Emde PubMed Kristina Gebhardt Miriam Böhme Gerhard Von Der Emde Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.