Università degli Studi di Pavia

Centro Interdisciplinare di Bioacustica e Ricerche Ambientali

 
Via Taramelli 24 - 27100 Pavia - Italy
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Pisces, fishes

In teleosteans more than 50 families include sound producing species. In the family Gobiidae several species have been studied in regard to their sound producing abilities. To date, five species of the Italian gobiid fauna are known to produce sounds: Padogobius martensii, Gobius nigricans and Knipowitschia punctatissima are three endemic freshwater species; Zosterisessor ophiocephalus and Gobius jozo (=niger) are predominantly marine species.
Research on these species is undertaken in collaboration with the University of Parma (Dept. of Biology and General Physiology) and the University of Venice (Dept. of Environmental Sciences). 

Padogobius martensii, Gobius nigricans, Knipowitschia punctatissima (Pisces, Gobiidae)


 


Digital spectrogram, envelope and waveform of a representative 'complex sound' emitted by a P.martensii male while spawning. The first part of the sound is composed by a train of partially overlapping pulses; the second part is made up of rapidly repeated pulses which overlap yielding a continuous tone-like waveform. The waveform display shows the transition among the two parts of the signal. 


 


Digital spectrogram, envelope and waveform of a representative sound emitted by a G.nigricans male. 



Digital spectrogram, envelope and waveform of a representative spawning sound emitted by a K.punctatissima male. The sound consists of a train of well distinct pulses. 

References

TORRICELLI P., LUGLI M., PARMIGIANI S., PAVAN G., 1986. Sound Production Associated with Aggressive Behaviour in the Freshwater Goby, Padogobius martensi. Abstracts of the Symposium on 'The Behaviour of Fishes', 1986. The Fisheries Society of The British Isles, UK: 61-62.

CASARETTO L., OTA D., PAVAN G., TORRICELLI P., FERRERO E.A., 1988. Prime osservazioni sul comportamento aggressivo di Zosterisessor ophiocephalus (Pisces, Gobiidae). Riassunti LII Congresso Nazionale U.Z.I., Camerino, Boll. Zool., 55 (Suppl.): 50.

TORRICELLI P., PAVAN G., LUGLI M., 1988. Analysis of aggressive and courtship sounds emitted by the male goby Padogobius martensi (Günther) (Pisces Gobiidae). Monitore zool. ital. (N.S.), 22: 548-549.

TORRICELLI P., LUGLI M., PAVAN G., 1990. Analysis of sounds produced by male Padogobius martensi (Pisces, Gobiidae) and factors affecting their structural properties. Bioacoustics, UK, 2 (4): 261-275.

TORRICELLI P., LUGLI M., PAVAN G., GANDOLFI G., 1990. The significance of sounds produced by courting male of the freshwater goby Padogobius martensi (Pisces, Gobiidae). Ethology, Ecology & Evolution, 2 (3): 329-330.

LUGLI M., PAVAN G., TORRICELLI P., BOBBIO L., 1995. Spawning vocalizations in male freshwater gobiids (Pisces, Gobiidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 43: 219-231.

LUGLI M., PAVAN G., TORRICELLI P., 1996. The importance of breeding vocalizations for mate attraction in a freshwater goby with composite sound repertoire. Ethol. Ecol. and Evol., 8: 343-351.

LUGLI M., TORRICELLI P., PAVAN G., MILLER P.J., 1996. Breeding sounds of male Padogobius nigricans with suggestions for further evolutionary study of vocal behaviour in gobioid fishes. Journal of Fish Biology, 49: 648-657.

LUGLI M., TORRICELLI P., PAVAN G., MAINARDI D., 1997. Sound production during courtship and spawning among freshwater Gobiids. Mar. Fresh. Behav. Physiol., 29: 109-126.

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