2026/05/01 by Sujay Balebail, Loranzie S. Rogers, Z Li +6 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior #Marine and fisheries research #Marine animal studies overview
paper · doi:10.1121/10.0043817
openalex publication_date 2026/05/01 · openalex created_date 2026/05/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
The long-duration advertisement "hums" produced by type I male plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) are tonal signals consisting of a fundamental frequency and multiple harmonics. Using acoustic playback of synthetic, hum-like stimuli under natural conditions, we found that the fundamental frequency is likely required for females' final entry into a type I male's nest, whereas higher harmonics may play a limited role. We found no evidence of phonotaxis in type I and type II males. Additionally, the observed decrease in body size of captured individuals over the breeding season suggests that larger individuals migrate earlier to spawning sites.