Acoustic scaling in the European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas)

Abstract

Sound is an important cue for arthropods. In insects, sound features and sound-producing apparatus are tightly correlated to enhance signal emission in larger individuals. In contrast, acoustic scaling in marine arthropods is poorly described even if they possess similar sound-producing apparatus. Here, the acoustic scaling of the European spiny lobster is analyzed by recording sounds in situ at 1 m from a wide range of body sizes. The dimensions of associated sound-producing apparatus increased with body size, indicating sound features would also be influenced by spiny lobster size. Indeed, temporal sound features changed with body size, suggesting differences in calling songs could be used for spiny lobster acoustic communication. Source levels (peak–peak) ranged from 131 to 164 dB re 1 μPa for smaller and larger lobsters, respectively, which could be explained by more efficient resonating structures in larger animals. In addition, dominant frequencies were highly constrained by ambient noise levels, masking the low-frequency content of low intensity sounds from smaller spiny lobsters. Although the ecological function of spiny lobster sounds is not clear yet, these results suggest larger body sizes benefit because louder calls increase the broadcast area and potential interactions with conspecifics, as shown in the insect bioacoustic literature.