Electric organ discharges of two species of African catfish (Synodontis) during social behaviour

Барон, В. Д.; Morshnev, K. S.; Olshansky, V. M.; Орлов, А. А.

doi:10.1006/anbe.1994.1387

Cited by 36 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…EODs in Synodontis catfish did not arise from a de novo structure. Earlier work on mochokid catfishes indicated that the protractor muscle is involved with electric discharge [3,4,38]. However, it was unknown whether EODs result solely from the electrical by-product of synchronized motoneuron activity, in which case the muscle could be a degenerative vestigial sonic muscle, or whether the muscle fibres play an active role.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sound production to electric discharge: sonic muscle evolution in progress inSynodontisspp. catfishes (Mochokidae)

2014

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Elucidating the origins of complex biological structures has been one of the major challenges of evolutionary studies. Within vertebrates, the capacity to produce regular coordinated electric organ discharges (EODs) has evolved independently in different fish lineages. Intermediate stages, however, are not known. We show that, within a single catfish genus, some species are able to produce sounds, electric discharges or both signals (though not simultaneously). We highlight that both acoustic and electric communication result from actions of the same muscle. In parallel to their abilities, the studied species show different degrees of myofibril development in the sonic and electric muscle. The lowest myofibril density was observed in Synodontis nigriventris , which produced EODs but no swim bladder sounds, whereas the greatest myofibril density was observed in Synodontis grandiops , the species that produced the longest sound trains but did not emit EODs. Additionally, S. grandiops exhibited the lowest auditory thresholds. Swim bladder sounds were similar among species, while EODs were distinctive at the species level. We hypothesize that communication with conspecifics favoured the development of species-specific EOD signals and suggest an evolutionary explanation for the transition from a fast sonic muscle to electrocytes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sound production to electric discharge: sonic muscle evolution in progress inSynodontisspp. catfishes (Mochokidae)

2014

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“…High-molecular-weight dextran-biotin provided verification of the location of motoneurons alone since it is apparently not transported transneuronally (Bass et al, 1994). We focused on mochokid catfishes, the only family so far described in which pectoral and swimbladder-generated sounds are clearly implicated in agonistic and reproductive functions (Abu-Gideiri and Nasr, 1973; also see Hagedorn et al, 1990;Baron et al, 1994).…”

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confidence: 99%

Sonic/vocal-acousticolateralis pathways in teleost fishes: A transneuronal biocytin study in mochokid catfish

Ladich

Bass

1996

J. Comp. Neurol.

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Mochokid catfish have two sound producing (sonic) organs--a pectoral spine stridulatory apparatus and a swimbladder whose vibration is established by nearby "drumming" muscles. Dextran-biotin or biocytin application to sonic nerves or muscles identified topographically separated motoneuron pools. Pectoral spine-related motoneurons are located within the ventral motor column whereas swimbladder motoneurons lie just ventral to the central canal or fourth ventricle. Axons of both groups of motoneurons exit the brain and spinal cord via ventral roots of occipital (swimbladder and pectoral) and spinal (swimbladder only) nerves. Transneuronal biocytin transport identified an extensive premotor network only for the swimbladder motor nuclei. Premotoneuron somata are located ipsilaterally in 1) a dorsolateral region of the sonic motor nucleus (SMN); motoneurons were clustered in the ventromedial region of the SMN and 2) the ventromedial medulla at the rostral pole of the SMN. Biocytin-filled fibers and less frequently premotoneuron somata were also found in the contralateral SMN. Biocytin-labeled fibers were continuous farther rostrally with 1) a commissural bundle that terminated bilaterally in the medial reticular formation near the caudal pole of the descending octaval nucleus and 2) a lateral brainstem bundle that terminated ipsilaterally in regions of the medulla and cerebellum considered to subserve acoustic and lateral line functions. Together with other data in distantly related teleost fishes, the results support the hypotheses that 1) central pathways linking sound-generating (sonic or vocal) and acoustic regions of the brain are traits common to both teleosts fishes and tetrapods that actively generate sounds, and 2) sonic/vocal pathways in teleosts have a conserved pattern of organization suggestive of common developmental origins.

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“…The available evidence suggests that they play a role in communication (Bratton and Ayers 1987;Baron et al 1994), although a role in active electrolocation cannot be ruled out. It is likely that these relatively variable EODs are similar to those of a primitive stage in the evolution of electric organs in mormyriforms and gymnotiforms.…”

Section: Weakly Electric Fish: Electric Energy As a Carrier Of Informmentioning

confidence: 97%

Electric Organs and Their Control

Caputi

Carlson

Macadar

Springer Handbook of Auditory Research

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Electric organ discharges of two species of African catfish (Synodontis) during social behaviour

Cited by 36 publications

References 0 publications

Sound production to electric discharge: sonic muscle evolution in progress inSynodontisspp. catfishes (Mochokidae)

Sound production to electric discharge: sonic muscle evolution in progress inSynodontisspp. catfishes (Mochokidae)

Sonic/vocal-acousticolateralis pathways in teleost fishes: A transneuronal biocytin study in mochokid catfish

Electric Organs and Their Control

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