Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD The Company of Biologists
Résumé : International audience
The ability to produce sound has been known for decades inBalistidae. Sounds of many species have been recorded and a varietyof sound-producing mechanisms have been proposed, includingteeth stridulation, collision of the buccal teeth and movements of thefins. The best-supported hypothesis involves movements of thepectoral fin against the lateral part of the swimbladder, called adrumming membrane. In this study, we describe for the first time thesounds made by the blackbar triggerfish Rhinecanthus aculeatus,which are like short drum rolls with an average duration of 85 ms,193 Hz dominant frequency and 136 dB SPL level at 3 cm distance.The sounds are a series of pulses that result from alternate sweepingmovements of the right and left pectoral fins, which push a system ofthree scutes that are forced against the swimbladder wall. Pulses fromeach fin occur in consecutive pairs. High-speed videos indicate thateach pulse consists of two cycles. The first part of each cyclecorresponds to the inward buckling of the scutes, whereas the secondpart of the cycle corresponds to an apparent passive recoil of thescutes and swimbladder wall. This novel sound productionmechanism is probably found in many members of Balistidaebecause these peculiar scutes occur in other species in the family.Comparison of sound characteristics from fishes of different sizesshows that dominant frequency decreases with size in juveniles butnot in adults.KEY WORDS: Acoustic, Communication, Swimbladder
ISSN: 00220949

hal-01472506
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01472506
DOI : 10.1242/jeb.146514