Aspects of Sound Communication in Some Caribbean Reef Fishes (Eupomacentrus spec., Pisces: Pomacentridae)

Abstract

Four species of sympatric damselfishes (Eupomacentrus, Pomacentridae) from certain Florida reefs can be distinguished by certain sound characteristics used during courtship. Apparently the fish use these characteristics for species recognition. These characteristics involve the temporal structure of a sound, i.e. the length of the pulse interval, containing the necessary code for communication.