Document Type
Article
Original Publication Date
2002
Journal/Book/Conference Title
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Volume
111
Issue
5 (Pt. 1)
First Page
2302
Last Page
2307
DOI of Original Publication
10.1121/1.1466865
Date of Submission
May 2015
Abstract
Nesting male gulf toadfish Opsanus beta produce a boatwhistle advertisement call used in male–male competition and to attract females and an agonistic grunt call. The grunt is a short-duration pulsatile call, and the boatwhistle is a complex call typically consisting of zero to three introductory grunts, a long tonal boop note, and zero to three shorter boops. The beginning of the boop note is also gruntlike. Anomalous boatwhistles contain a short-duration grunt embedded in the tonal portion of the boop or between an introductory grunt and the boop. Embedded grunts have sound-pressure levels and frequency spectra that correspond with those of recognized neighbors, suggesting that one fish is grunting during another’s call, a phenomenon here termed acoustic tagging. Snaps of nearby pistol shrimp may also be tagged, and chains of tags involving more than two fish occur. The stimulus to tag is a relatively intense sound with a rapid rise time, and tags are generally produced within 100 ms of a trigger stimulus. Time between the trigger and the tag decreases with increased trigger amplitude. Tagging is distinct from increased calling in response to natural calls or stimulatory playbacks since calls rarely overlap other calls or playbacks. Tagging is not generally reciprocal between fish, suggesting parallels to dominance displays.
Rights
Copyright (2002) Acoustical Society of America. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the Acoustical Society of America. The following article appeared in J. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 111, 2302 (2002) and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.1466865.
Is Part Of
VCU Biology Publications
Comments
The following article appeared in J. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 111, 2302 (2002) and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.1466865.