Development and sexual dimorphism of the sonic system in deep sea neobythitine fishes: The upper continental slope

作者：Ali, Heba A; Mok, Hin Kiu; Fine, Michael L^*

来源：Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers , 2016, 115: 293-308.

DOI：10.1016/j.dsr.2016.07.010

• Acoustic communication
• Sound production
• Deep-sea
• Sonic mechanism
• Swimbladder
• Striated muscles

The anatomy of sound production in continental-slope fishes has been ignored since the work of NB Marshall in the 1960s. Due to food scarcity at great depths, we hypothesize that sonic muscles will be reduced in deep-water neobythitine cusk-eels (family Ophidiidae). Here we describe and quantify dimensions of the swimbladder and sonic muscles of three species from the upper slope. They have four pairs of well-developed sonic muscles (two medial and two lateral) with origins on the skull and insertions on the medial swimbladder (medial pair) or on modified epineural ribs that attach to the lateral swimbladder (lateral pair). Despite minor differences, relatively similar swimbladder dimensions, muscle length and external morphology suggest a conservative body plan. However, there are major differences in sonic muscle mass: medial muscles are heavier in males and made of relatively small fibers (ca 10 mu m in diameter). Lateral muscles are generally larger in females and consist of larger fibers, as in epaxial trunk muscle. Muscle weight varies between species, and we suggest males produce advertisement calls that vary in amplitude and duration in different species. Due to differences in fiber size, we hypothesize that lateral muscles with larger fibers remain contracted during sound production, and medial muscles with smaller fibers will oscillate to drive swimbladder sound production.

• 出版日期2016-9
• 单位中山大学