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(A) Dissected type I male Lusitanian toadfish ( Halobatrachus didactylus ) showing the swim bladder (SB), the gonads (G), and the accessory glands (AG). (B) Dorsal view of one lobe of the swim bladder depicting the embedded sonic muscle (SM).
Source publication
Animal vocalizations are good examples of signals that have been shaped by sexual selection and often contribute to resolve contests or the choice of mates. We relate the mass of the sound-producing muscles of a highly vocal fish species, the Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801)), with the sender's physical feat...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... (M G ; Fig. 1A), accessory glands (in males, M AG ; Fig. 1A), and liver (M L ) mass were tallied to the nearest milligram. Both sonic muscles, which are embedded in the sides of the swim bladder (Figs. 1A, 1B), were gently cut from the swim-bladder wall with a pair of fine dissection scissors and were also weighed (M SM ) to the nearest milli- gram. ...
Context 2
... (M G ; Fig. 1A), accessory glands (in males, M AG ; Fig. 1A), and liver (M L ) mass were tallied to the nearest milligram. Both sonic muscles, which are embedded in the sides of the swim bladder (Figs. 1A, 1B), were gently cut from the swim-bladder wall with a pair of fine dissection scissors and were also weighed (M SM ) to the nearest milli- gram. We also obtained total length (TL), measured ...
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Citations
... 1), and was not observed in juvenile specimens in the present sample. The cordiform morphology cooccurs with hypertrophy of the intrinsic sonic muscles on the sides of the swim bladder, which increases the width of lobes, resulting in the heart-shaped aspect (Bass and Marchaterre, 1989a, Fig. 1;Brantley and Bass, 1994;Amorim et al., 2009;Mohr et al., 2017). ...
The batracoidid Plainfin Midshipmen Porichthys notatus Girard has been extensively studied due to the sound production abilities and specializations of its swim bladder. The present study describes three-dimensional variations of the morphology of the swim bladder and sonic muscles of P. notatus during its post-hatch larval development, with the use of three-dimensional computed tomography. This study also includes descriptions of the relative position of the swim bladder to other visceral organs. The swim bladder, digestive tract, and liver were already present in the smallest examined specimens (5.9 mm; newly hatched larvae) along with the yolk sac. In the smallest specimens, the digestive tract is straight, but from 7.1 mm TL, the digestive tract forms the first intestinal loops, and at 25.5 mm TL, a second intestinal loop. In smallest specimens, the swim bladder is oval, but at 7.1 mm TL, the anterior margin starts invaginating, forming a pair of anterior lobes. The first appearance of the intrinsic sonic muscles in swim bladder occurs at 13.1 mm TL. Additionally, we provide comparisons between the shape of the swim bladder of P. notatus and other species. The shape of the swim bladder of P. notatus and other members of Porichthyinae have an ovoid posterior region with two anterior lobes and differs from the cordiform or semiconected/bilobed the swim bladders observed in the other Batrachoididae.
... To quantify male spawn-readiness, we calculated a gonadosomatic index (GSI) using testes mass. Amorim et al. (2009) suggest that sonic muscle mass may signal male quality in a closely related species, the Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus, and so we calculated a sonic muscle somatic index (SMSI) using the mass of each male's sonic apparatus (swim bladder with attached sonic muscles) as a proxy for male courtship ability. ...
A male's reproductive success often depends on both his phenotypic quality and the quality of the resources he controls. An important and longstanding challenge for evolutionary biologists has been to disentangle these 2 often-correlated factors. Here, we present a large multiyear, multipopulation field study along with complementary laboratory experiments aimed at disentangling the effects of male quality and nest quality in driving male reproductive success in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus. We investigate how these factors are linked to reproductive success using a number of different reproductive success components, including female attraction, cuckolder male attraction, egg acquisition, and rearing success. We show in the field that both male size and nest size are important correlates of reproductive success in this paternal care-giving species, but also that nest size can impose a limit on reproductive success regardless of the quality of the male nest owner. Females in the laboratory prefer large males when nest size is held constant, but females show no detectable preference for larger nests when nest size is varied and male size is held constant. We also explore a suite of additional male and nest traits-including male body condition, sonic organ investment, nest species richness, and nest density. Our results highlight how male and resource quality are multivariate concepts that incorporate information from the male phenotype, the ecological environment, and even the social environment and shape mating systems by influencing an animal's choice of mating partners and nesting sites. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected]
... A small opening (10 cm wide, 5 cm high) was created at the entrance of each of these nests to allow females and, eventually, small type I or type II males to enter. These are typically smaller (generally TL ,30 cm and body mass ,500 g) than the tested type I males (Amorim et al. 2009). Plastic nets did not affect propagation of acoustic signals and allowed possible visual interactions with free-swimming conspecifics, as well as the entrance of prey items in the nest. ...
... In courtship signaling contexts of cavity spawning fi shes, more specifi cally, females may gain a reproductive advantage by attending to reliable indicators of successful nest defense and a low likelihood of cannibalizing eggs (Manica 2004 ). Thus, informative acoustic signals in these fi shes could also include indices of male somatic condition that predict quality care of offspring (e.g., high fat reserves) (Amorim et al. 2009(Amorim et al. , 2010. Sound pressure level and pulse dominant frequency are reliable indices of body size in a number of soniferous fi shes (e.g., Myrberg et al. 1993 ;Connaughton et al. 2000 ;. ...
... Similarly, Halobatrachus didactylus calling rate and calling effort were correlated with male size, lipid stores, and liver mass (Amorim et al. 2010 ;Vasconcelos et al. 2012) and positively predicted number of eggs in the nest . Sonic muscle mass is strongly related to body size and liver size in H. didactylus (Amorim et al. 2009 ), and similar relationships have been found between drumming muscles mass and body size and condition in cod, Gadus morhua (Rowe and Hutchings 2004 ). ...
Darters (Perciformes, Percidae), sculpins (Perciformes, Cottidae), and gobioids (Gobiiformes, Gobioidei) exhibit convergent life history traits, including a benthic lifestyle and a cavity nesting spawning mode. Soniferous species within these taxa produce pulsed and/or tonal sounds with peak frequencies below 200 Hz (with some exceptions), primarily in agonistic and/or reproductive contexts. The reduced or absent swim bladders found in these taxa limit or prevent both hearing enhancement via pressure sensitivity and acoustic amplification of the contracting sonic muscles, which are associated with the skull and pectoral girdle. While such anatomies constrain communication to low frequency channels, optimization of the S/N (signal-to-noise) ratio in low frequency channels is evident for some gobies, as measured by habitat soundscape frequency windows, nest cavity sound amplification, and audiograms. Similar S/N considerations are applicable to many darter and sculpin systems. This chapter reviews the currently documented diversity of sound production in darters, sculpins, and gobioids within a phylogenetic context, examines the efficacy of signal transmission from senders to receivers (sound production mechanisms, audiograms, and masking challenges), and evaluates the potential functional significance of sound attributes in relation to territorial and reproductive behaviours.
... The Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus (Bloch and Schneider 1801) produces a long (about 1s) tonal low-frequency advertisement sound, the boatwhistle, which is highly stereotyped and shows considerable inter-individual differences during short periods of time (<10min) (Amorim and Vasconcelos, 2008). A recent study has shown that the male's sound-producing muscles are highly variable (c.v.40%) and that its mass depends mostly on male length and condition, suggesting that sounds could advertise male quality in this species (Amorim et al., 2009). Because the boatwhistle seems to be the only courtship signal in this species (M.C.P.A., P.J.F. and J.M.S., personal observation) [see also Brantley and Bass (Brantley and Bass, 1994) for a detailed description of the mating behaviour of P. notatus] we have hypothesised that it should contain information relevant to the female for mate choice. ...
... A small opening (10 cm wide, 5 cm high) was created at the entrance of each of these nests to allow females and, eventually, small type I or type II males to enter. These are typically smaller (generally TL ,30 cm and body mass ,500 g) than the tested type I males (Amorim et al. 2009). Plastic nets did not affect propagation of acoustic signals and allowed possible visual interactions with free-swimming conspecifics, as well as the entrance of prey items in the nest. ...
The relation between acoustic signaling and reproductive success is important to understand the evolution of vocal communi-cation systems and has been well studied in several taxa but never clearly shown in fish. This study aims to investigate whether vocal behavior affects the reproductive success in the Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus) that relies on acoustic communication to attract mates. We recorded 56 nest-holding (type I) males during the breeding season and analyzed the calling performance and acoustic features of the mate advertising sounds (boatwhistles) exhibited over circa 2 weeks. Hormonal levels of the subjects and the number of eggs (reproductive success) present in the respective nests were quantified. Nesting males attracted both females and other males, namely smaller type I males with significantly lower total length (TL), body condition, sonic muscle mass, gonad mass, and accessory glands mass. Calling rate (CR), calling effort (CE) (% time spent calling), and sound dominant frequency were significantly higher in nesting males with clutches than in those without clutches. Sex steroids (11-ketotestosterone and testosterone) were not correlated with vocal parameters or number of eggs. Maximum CR and CE were the best predictors of the number of eggs. In addition, these vocal variables were best explained by male's TL, condition, and sonic muscle mass. We provide first evidence that vocal behavior significantly determines reproductive success in a vocal fish and show that acoustic signaling at higher and constant rates can operate as an indicator of the male's size and body condition and probably of elevated motivation for reproduction. Key words: acoustic communication, Batrachoididae, mate attraction, reproductive success, toadfish. [Behav Ecol 23:375–383 (2012)] INTRODUCTION
... The Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus (Bloch and Schneider 1801) produces a long (about 1s) tonal low-frequency advertisement sound, the boatwhistle, which is highly stereotyped and shows considerable inter-individual differences during short periods of time (<10min) (Amorim and Vasconcelos, 2008). A recent study has shown that the male's sound-producing muscles are highly variable (c.v.40%) and that its mass depends mostly on male length and condition, suggesting that sounds could advertise male quality in this species (Amorim et al., 2009). Because the boatwhistle seems to be the only courtship signal in this species (M.C.P.A., P.J.F. and J.M.S., personal observation) [see also Brantley and Bass (Brantley and Bass, 1994) for a detailed description of the mating behaviour of P. notatus] we have hypothesised that it should contain information relevant to the female for mate choice. ...
Lusitanian toadfish males that provide parental care rely on acoustic signals (the boatwhistle) to attract females to their nest. We test the hypothesis that male quality, namely male size and condition that are relevant for parental success, is reflected in vocal activity and boatwhistle characteristics and thus advertised to females. We recorded 22 males over a week during the peak of the breeding season. Calling rate and calling effort (percentage of time spent calling) strongly reflected male condition (lipid content of somatic muscles) and to a smaller extent sonic muscle hypertrophy and larger gonads. Males in better condition (increased body lipid and relative higher liver mass) also contracted the sonic muscles at faster rate as shown by the shorter boatwhistle pulse periods. Amplitude modulation reflected the degree of sonic muscle hypertrophy. None of the measured male quality parameters were good predictors of boatwhistle duration and dominant frequency. Altogether this study strongly suggests that Lusitanian toadfish males advertise their quality to females primarily with boatwhistle calling rate and calling effort, which mainly reflect male condition. Because pulse period had low variability, consistent with the existence of a vocal central pattern generator, we suggest that males that sustain sonic muscles contraction at a very fast rate close to their physiological limit may be honestly advertising their quality (condition). Similarly, males that produce boatwhistles with higher amplitude modulation, a feature that seems dependent on sonic muscle hypertrophy, could be more attractive to females.
Fishes have evolved multiple mechanisms for sound production, many
5 of which utilize sonic muscles that vibrate the swimbladder or the rubbing of bony
6 elements. Sonic muscles are among the fastest muscles in vertebrates and typically
7 drive the swimbladder to produce one sound cycle per contraction. These muscles
8 may be extrinsic, typically extending from the head to the swimbladder, or intrinsic,
9 likely a more-derived condition, in which muscles attach exclusively to the bladder
10 wall. Recently discovered in Ophidiiform fishes, slow muscles stretch the swim-
11 bladder and associated tendons, allowing sound production by rebound (cock and
12 release). In glaucosomatids, fast muscles produce a weak sound followed by a
13 louder one, again produced by rebound, which may reflect an intermediate in the
14 evolution of slow to superfast sonic muscles. Historically, the swimbladder has
15 been modeled as an underwater resonant bubble. We provide evidence for an
16 alternative hypothesis, namely that bladder sounds are driven as a forced rather than
17 a resonant response, thus accounting for broad tuning, rapid damping, and direc-
18 tionality of fish sounds. Cases of sounds that damp slowly, an indication of reso-
19 nance, are associated with tendons or bones that continue to vibrate and hence drive
20 multiple cycles of swimbladder sound. Stridulation sounds, best studied in catfishes
21 and damselfishes, are produced, respectively, as a series of quick jerks causing
22 rubbing of a ribbed process against a rough surface or rapid jaw closing mediated
23 by a specialized tendon. A cladogram of sonic fishes suggests that fish sound
24 production has arisen independently multiple times.
