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Diversity and complexity in the acoustic behaviour of Dacyllus flavicaudus (Pomacentridae)

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Abstract

Synchronous underwater audio–video recordings and a passive acoustic detector were used to study the behaviour of Dascyllus flavicaudus. These damselfish produced sounds during six different behaviours and showed three different colour patterns while doing so. These sounds can be grouped into three classes: sounds associated with (1) fighting; (2) mating/visiting and (3) chasing and signal jumps. Moreover, the evolution of the different kinds of sound is discussed: the first calls could be a single pulse originating in teeth snapping. Modifications in the rhythm and number of pulses allowed the fish to build new messages. Daily recordings showed that sound production rates were higher at sunrise and sunset than during the day and that no sound was produced during the night. However, the kinds of call were different: sunrise sounds seemed mainly associated with mating/visiting, whereas the sounds associated with chasing and to signal jumps were mainly found at sunset.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the CRIOBE team for their assistance during the study. E. P. is a research associate of the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique of Belgium (FRS-FNRS). This study was supported by “starting grants” from the University of Liège and by a grant from the CRISP program, ANR (ANR-06-JCJC-0012-01) and MOM (06 PF 15).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Morphologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Institut de chimie, Bât. B6c, Université de Liège, 4000, Liège, Belgium

    Eric Parmentier & Loïc Kéver

  2. Unitat de Biologia Animal, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, Campus de Montilivi s/n, 17071, Girona, Spain

    Margarida Casadevall

  3. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UR 128 (CoRéUs), 101 Promenade Roger Laroque, BP A5, Noumea, 98848, New Caledonia

    David Lecchini

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  1. Eric Parmentier
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  2. Loïc Kéver
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  3. Margarida Casadevall
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  4. David Lecchini
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Correspondence to Eric Parmentier.

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Communicated by D. Goulet.

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Parmentier, E., Kéver, L., Casadevall, M. et al. Diversity and complexity in the acoustic behaviour of Dacyllus flavicaudus (Pomacentridae). Mar Biol 157, 2317–2327 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-010-1498-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-010-1498-1

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