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Timothy C. Tricas - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Acoustic Communication in Butterflyfishes: Anatomical Novelties, Physiology, Evolution, and Behavioral Ecology.
    Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 2016
    Co-Authors: Timothy C. Tricas, Jacqueline F. Webb
    Abstract:

    Coral reef fishes live in noisy environments that may challenge their capacity for acoustic communication. Butterflyfishes (Family Chaetodontidae) are prominent and ecologically diverse members of coral reef communities worldwide. The discovery of a novel association of anterior swim bladder horns with the lateral line canal system in the genus Chaetodon (the laterophysic connection) revealed a putative adaptation for enhancement of sound reception by the lateral line system and/or the ear. Behavioral studies show that acoustic communication is an important component of butterflyfish social behavior. All bannerfish (Forcipiger, Heniochus, and Hemitaurichthys) and Chaetodon species studied thus far produce several sound types at frequencies of 1000 Hz. Ancestral character state analyses predict the existence of both shared (head bob) and divergent (tail slap) acoustic behaviors in these two clades. Experimental auditory physiology shows that butterflyfishes are primarily sensitive to stimuli associated with hydrodynamic particle accelerations of ≤500 Hz. In addition, the gas-filled swim bladder horns in Chaetodon are stimulated by sound pressure, which enhances and extends their auditory sensitivity to 1700–2000 Hz. The broadband spectrum of ambient noise present on coral reefs overlaps with the frequency characteristics of their sounds, thus both the close social affiliations common among butterflyfishes and the evolution of the swim bladder horns in Chaetodon facilitate their short-range acoustic communication. Butterflyfishes provide a unique and unexpected opportunity to carry out studies of fish bioacoustics in the lab and the field that integrate the study of sensory anatomy, physiology, evolution, and behavioral ecology.

  • Diversity and evolution of sound production in the social behavior of Chaetodon butterflyfishes
    Journal of Experimental Biology, 2015
    Co-Authors: Timothy C. Tricas, Kelly S. Boyle
    Abstract:

    ABSTRACT Fish produce context-specific sounds during social communication, but it is not known how acoustic behaviors have evolved in relation to specializations of the auditory system. Butterflyfishes (family Chaetodontidae) have a well-defined phylogeny and produce pulsed communication sounds during social interactions on coral reefs. Recent work indicates that two sound production mechanisms exist in the bannerfish clade and that other mechanisms are used in the Chaetodon clade, which is distinguished by an auditory specialization, the laterophysic connection (LC). Here, we determine the kinematic action patterns associated with sound production during social interactions in four Chaetodon subgenera and the non-laterophysic fish Forcipiger flavissimus. Some Chaetodon species share the head bob acoustic behavior with F. flavissimus , which along with other sounds in the 100–1000 Hz spectrum, are probably adequate to stimulate the ear, swim bladder or LC of a receiver fish. In contrast, only Chaetodon species produced the tail slap sound, which involves a 1–30 Hz hydrodynamic pulse that is likely to stimulate the receiver9s ear and lateral line at close distances, but not the swim bladder or LC. Reconstructions of ancestral character states appear equivocal for the head bob and divergent for the tail slap acoustic behaviors. Independent contrast analysis shows a correlation between sound duration and stimulus intensity characters. The intensities of the tail slap and body pulse sounds in Chaeotodon species are correlated with body size and can provide honest communication signals. Future studies on fish acoustic communication should investigate low-frequency and infrasound acoustic fields to understand the integrated function of the ear and lateral line, and their evolutionary patterns.

  • Sound pressure enhances the hearing sensitivity of Chaetodon butterflyfishes on noisy coral reefs.
    The Journal of experimental biology, 2015
    Co-Authors: Timothy C. Tricas, Kelly S. Boyle
    Abstract:

    Butterflyfishes are conspicuous members of coral reefs that communicate with acoustic signals during social interactions with mates and other conspecifics. Members of the genus Chaetodon have a laterophysic connection (LC) - a unique association of anterior swim bladder horns and the cranial lateral line - but the action of the LC system on auditory sensitivity is unexplored. Here, we show in baseline auditory evoked potential threshold experiments that Forcipiger flavissimus (which lacks swim bladder horns and LC) is sensitive to sound tones from 100 Hz up to 1000 Hz, and that thresholds for three species of Chaetodon are 10-15 dB lower, with extended hearing ranges up to 1700-2000 Hz. The relatively high thresholds to sound pressure and low pass response near 500 Hz for all four species are consistent with a primary sensitivity to hydrodynamic particle acceleration rather than sound pressure. Deflation of the swim bladder in F. flavissimus had no measurable effect on auditory sensitivity. In contrast, displacement of gas from the swim bladder horns in Chaetodon multicinctus and Chaetodon auriga increased thresholds (decreased sensitivity) by 5-20 dB, with the greatest effect at 600 Hz. The evolution of swim bladder horns associated with the LC system in Chaetodon species has increased hearing sensitivity through sound pressure transduction in the frequency bands used for social acoustic communication. The close affiliative behaviors that are common in Chaetodon species and other butterflyfish facilitate sound perception and acoustic communication at close distances relative to the high background noise levels found in their natural reef environment.

  • Sound pressure enhances the hearing sensitivity of Chaetodon butterflyfishes on noisy coral reefs
    Journal of Experimental Biology, 2015
    Co-Authors: Timothy C. Tricas, Kelly S. Boyle
    Abstract:

    Butterflyfishes are conspicuous members of coral reefs that communicate with acoustic signals during social interactions with mates and other conspecifics. Members of the genus Chaetodon have a laterophysic connection (LC), a unique association of anterior swim bladder horns and the cranial lateral line, but the action of the LC system on auditory sensitivity was previously unexplored. Baseline auditory evoked potential threshold experiments show that Forcipiger flavissimus (which lacks swim bladder horns and LC) is sensitive to sound tones from 100 Hz up to 1000 Hz, and that thresholds for three species of Chaetodon were 10-15 dB lower with extended hearing ranges up to 1700-2000 Hz. The relatively high thresholds to sound pressure and low pass response near 500 Hz for all four species is consistent with a primary sensitivity to hydrodynamic particle acceleration rather than sound pressure. Deflation of the swim bladder in Forcipiger had no measurable effect on auditory sensitivity. In contrast, displacement of gas from the swim bladder horns in C. multicinctus and C. auriga increased thresholds (decreased sensitivity) by approximately 10 dB with the greatest effect at 600 Hz. The evolution of swim bladder horns associated with the LC system in Chaetodon has increased hearing sensitivity through sound pressure transduction in the frequency bands used for social acoustic communication. The close affiliative behaviors that are common in Chaetodon and other butterflyfish species facilitate sound perception and acoustic communication at close distances relative to the high background noise levels found in their natural reef environment.

  • Development of DNA microsatellite markers in the multiband butterflyfish (Chaetodon multicinctus).
    Molecular ecology resources, 2008
    Co-Authors: Edward J. Heist, Justin T. Sipiorski, Timothy C. Tricas
    Abstract:

    Twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed in the multiband (pebbled) butterflyfish Chaetodon multicinctus. The loci were scored in 45 individuals from Hawaii. There were five to 21 alleles per locus with observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.419 to 0.883. Four of the primer sets also reliably amplified polymorphic loci in Chaetodon quadrimaculatus. We expect these markers to be useful for studies of genetic population structure and kinship, for example to determine whether new recruits settling onto reefs are related.

Kelly S. Boyle - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Diversity and evolution of sound production in the social behavior of Chaetodon butterflyfishes
    Journal of Experimental Biology, 2015
    Co-Authors: Timothy C. Tricas, Kelly S. Boyle
    Abstract:

    ABSTRACT Fish produce context-specific sounds during social communication, but it is not known how acoustic behaviors have evolved in relation to specializations of the auditory system. Butterflyfishes (family Chaetodontidae) have a well-defined phylogeny and produce pulsed communication sounds during social interactions on coral reefs. Recent work indicates that two sound production mechanisms exist in the bannerfish clade and that other mechanisms are used in the Chaetodon clade, which is distinguished by an auditory specialization, the laterophysic connection (LC). Here, we determine the kinematic action patterns associated with sound production during social interactions in four Chaetodon subgenera and the non-laterophysic fish Forcipiger flavissimus. Some Chaetodon species share the head bob acoustic behavior with F. flavissimus , which along with other sounds in the 100–1000 Hz spectrum, are probably adequate to stimulate the ear, swim bladder or LC of a receiver fish. In contrast, only Chaetodon species produced the tail slap sound, which involves a 1–30 Hz hydrodynamic pulse that is likely to stimulate the receiver9s ear and lateral line at close distances, but not the swim bladder or LC. Reconstructions of ancestral character states appear equivocal for the head bob and divergent for the tail slap acoustic behaviors. Independent contrast analysis shows a correlation between sound duration and stimulus intensity characters. The intensities of the tail slap and body pulse sounds in Chaeotodon species are correlated with body size and can provide honest communication signals. Future studies on fish acoustic communication should investigate low-frequency and infrasound acoustic fields to understand the integrated function of the ear and lateral line, and their evolutionary patterns.

  • Sound pressure enhances the hearing sensitivity of Chaetodon butterflyfishes on noisy coral reefs.
    The Journal of experimental biology, 2015
    Co-Authors: Timothy C. Tricas, Kelly S. Boyle
    Abstract:

    Butterflyfishes are conspicuous members of coral reefs that communicate with acoustic signals during social interactions with mates and other conspecifics. Members of the genus Chaetodon have a laterophysic connection (LC) - a unique association of anterior swim bladder horns and the cranial lateral line - but the action of the LC system on auditory sensitivity is unexplored. Here, we show in baseline auditory evoked potential threshold experiments that Forcipiger flavissimus (which lacks swim bladder horns and LC) is sensitive to sound tones from 100 Hz up to 1000 Hz, and that thresholds for three species of Chaetodon are 10-15 dB lower, with extended hearing ranges up to 1700-2000 Hz. The relatively high thresholds to sound pressure and low pass response near 500 Hz for all four species are consistent with a primary sensitivity to hydrodynamic particle acceleration rather than sound pressure. Deflation of the swim bladder in F. flavissimus had no measurable effect on auditory sensitivity. In contrast, displacement of gas from the swim bladder horns in Chaetodon multicinctus and Chaetodon auriga increased thresholds (decreased sensitivity) by 5-20 dB, with the greatest effect at 600 Hz. The evolution of swim bladder horns associated with the LC system in Chaetodon species has increased hearing sensitivity through sound pressure transduction in the frequency bands used for social acoustic communication. The close affiliative behaviors that are common in Chaetodon species and other butterflyfish facilitate sound perception and acoustic communication at close distances relative to the high background noise levels found in their natural reef environment.

  • Sound pressure enhances the hearing sensitivity of Chaetodon butterflyfishes on noisy coral reefs
    Journal of Experimental Biology, 2015
    Co-Authors: Timothy C. Tricas, Kelly S. Boyle
    Abstract:

    Butterflyfishes are conspicuous members of coral reefs that communicate with acoustic signals during social interactions with mates and other conspecifics. Members of the genus Chaetodon have a laterophysic connection (LC), a unique association of anterior swim bladder horns and the cranial lateral line, but the action of the LC system on auditory sensitivity was previously unexplored. Baseline auditory evoked potential threshold experiments show that Forcipiger flavissimus (which lacks swim bladder horns and LC) is sensitive to sound tones from 100 Hz up to 1000 Hz, and that thresholds for three species of Chaetodon were 10-15 dB lower with extended hearing ranges up to 1700-2000 Hz. The relatively high thresholds to sound pressure and low pass response near 500 Hz for all four species is consistent with a primary sensitivity to hydrodynamic particle acceleration rather than sound pressure. Deflation of the swim bladder in Forcipiger had no measurable effect on auditory sensitivity. In contrast, displacement of gas from the swim bladder horns in C. multicinctus and C. auriga increased thresholds (decreased sensitivity) by approximately 10 dB with the greatest effect at 600 Hz. The evolution of swim bladder horns associated with the LC system in Chaetodon has increased hearing sensitivity through sound pressure transduction in the frequency bands used for social acoustic communication. The close affiliative behaviors that are common in Chaetodon and other butterflyfish species facilitate sound perception and acoustic communication at close distances relative to the high background noise levels found in their natural reef environment.

Morgan S Pratchett - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • The origins and diversification of coral reef butterflyfishes
    2014
    Co-Authors: David R. Bellwood, Morgan S Pratchett
    Abstract:

    [Extract] The Chaetodontidae is a diverse family of percomorph fishes represented by 122 extant species, characterised by deep compressed bodies, small protruded mouths and bristle-like teeth (Allen et al., 1998). The family is dominated by fishes of the genus Chaetodon, which are among the most conspicuous inhabitants of coral reef environments. Two thirds of all butterflyfishes are found living within coral reef habitats, and many of these species feed mainly, if not exclusively, on reef-building corals (Cole et al., 2008; Cole and Pratchett, Chapter 5). Because of their reliance on corals for food, Chaetodon butterfly fishes are regarded among the most specialised and highly evolved coral reef fishes (e.g., Gosline, 1985). These fishes are inextricably linked to the corals on which they feed (Reese, 1977, 1981), but did the family originate within coral reef environments?

  • Isolation and characterization of twenty microsatellite markers for the study of hybridization in butterflyfish of the genus Chaetodon
    Conservation Genetics Resources, 2013
    Co-Authors: Stefano R. Montanari, Morgan S Pratchett, Michael G. Gardner, Jean-paul A. Hobbs, Line K. Bay, Lynne Van Herwerden
    Abstract:

    Twenty polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed via 454 sequencing for two hybridizing sister species of butterflyfish: the spot-band butterflyfish (Chaetodon punctatofasciatus) and peppered butterflyfish (Chaetodon guttatissimus), which are widely distributed in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, respectively. All loci were genotyped in samples collected from Christmas Island: C. guttatissimus (n = 25), C. punctatofasciatus (n = 17) and hybrids (n = 16). Mean alleles per locus (N a ) were: 9.05 for C. guttatissimus, 9.95 for C. punctatofasciatus and 9.45 for hybrids. Observed heterozygosity (H O ) ranged from 0.00 to 1.00 for C. guttatissimus; from 0.08 to 0.88 for C. punctatofasciatus; and from 0.19 to 0.94 for hybrids. Most loci conformed to Hardy–Weinberg expectations, were in linkage equilibrium, and did not contain null alleles. These markers will be useful for testing population genetic hypotheses including patterns of hybridization in this pair of butterflyfishes.

  • Specialist corallivores dominate butterflyfish assemblages in coral-dominated reef habitats.
    Journal of fish biology, 2013
    Co-Authors: Morgan S Pratchett, Nicholas A. J. Graham, Andrew J. Cole
    Abstract:

    This study examined the dietary habits and functional composition of butterflyfishes in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean. Eighteen species of butterflyfishes were recorded in Chagos, including six obligate corallivores (Chaetodon bennetti, Chaetodon guttatissimus, Chaetodon meyeri, Chaetodon trifascialis, Chaetodon trifasciatus and Chaetodon zanzibarensis), five facultative corallivores (Chaetodon auriga, Chaetodon falcula, Chaetodon interruptus, Chaetodon kleinii and Chaetodon madagaskariensis), two non-corallivores (Chaetodon lunula and Chaetodon xanthocephalus) and a further five species (Chaetodon citrinellus, Chaetodon lineolatus, Heimitaurichthys zoster, Heniochus monoceros and Forcipiger flavissimus), for which local dietary habits were not studied. There were marked differences in the abundance of butterflyfishes among sites and between reef zones, mostly associated with variation in abundance of scleractinian corals. Obligate coral-feeding species (mostly C. trifascialis) dominated across all sites. This study suggests that coral feeding and high levels of dietary specialization contribute to high population-level fitness among coral reef butterflyfishes. Despite being more vulnerable to habitat disturbances and coral loss, it appears likely that specialist coral-feeding butterflyfishes are also much more resilient to occasional disturbances, and therefore dominate in a wide range of coral reef habitats.

  • Functional composition of Chaetodon butterflyfishes at a peripheral and extreme coral reef location, the Persian Gulf
    Marine pollution bulletin, 2012
    Co-Authors: Morgan S Pratchett, Andrew S. Hoey, David A. Feary, Andrew G. Bauman, John A. Burt, Bernhard Riegl
    Abstract:

    The functional composition of reef fish assemblages is highly conserved across large biogeographic areas, but it is unknown whether assembly rules hold at biogeographical and environmental extremes for coral reefs. This study examined the functional composition of butterflyfishes in the Persian Gulf, Musandam Peninsula, and Gulf of Oman. Only five species of butterflyfishes were recorded during this study, and mostly just in the Gulf of Oman. Unlike most locations in the Indo–Pacific where butterflyfish assemblages are dominated by obligate corallivores, the only obligate corallivore recorded, Chaetodon melapterus, was rare or absent at all locations. The most common and widespread species was Chaetodon nigropunctatus, which is shown to be a facultative corallivore. The diversity of butterflyfishes in the Persian Gulf is likely to have been constrained by its’ biogeographical history and isolation, but functional composition appears to be further affected by limited abundance of prey corals and harsh environmental conditions.

  • Identification of twenty one microsatellite loci for conservation genetic studies of the endemic butterflyfish Chaetodon tricinctus
    Conservation Genetics Resources, 2011
    Co-Authors: Martin H. Van Der Meer, Morgan S Pratchett, Michael G. Gardner, Jean-paul A. Hobbs, Lynne Van Herwerden
    Abstract:

    Coral reef habitats are increasingly under threat from global warming and this has influenced the associated reef fish communities. Chaetodon tricinctus is a butterflyfish endemic to the offshore reefs of Elizabeth Reef, Middleton Reef, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island off Australia's east coast. It is a highly specialised coral reef fish that is thought to rely on Acroporid coral species exclusively for food and shelter. We developed primers for twenty one microsatellite loci to reveal gene flow, population genetic structure and genetic diversity within and among these three reefs. Observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.185 to 0.964 and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.230 to 0.889 in 30 individuals from Middleton Reef. When cross tested with Chaetodon trifascialis, a closely related species, there was poor amplification success and only a moderate level of polymorphism. Therefore, although these loci will be useful in C. tricinctus, it is unlikely that they can be used on other related butterflyfishes.

Jacqueline F. Webb - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Acoustic Communication in Butterflyfishes: Anatomical Novelties, Physiology, Evolution, and Behavioral Ecology.
    Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 2016
    Co-Authors: Timothy C. Tricas, Jacqueline F. Webb
    Abstract:

    Coral reef fishes live in noisy environments that may challenge their capacity for acoustic communication. Butterflyfishes (Family Chaetodontidae) are prominent and ecologically diverse members of coral reef communities worldwide. The discovery of a novel association of anterior swim bladder horns with the lateral line canal system in the genus Chaetodon (the laterophysic connection) revealed a putative adaptation for enhancement of sound reception by the lateral line system and/or the ear. Behavioral studies show that acoustic communication is an important component of butterflyfish social behavior. All bannerfish (Forcipiger, Heniochus, and Hemitaurichthys) and Chaetodon species studied thus far produce several sound types at frequencies of 1000 Hz. Ancestral character state analyses predict the existence of both shared (head bob) and divergent (tail slap) acoustic behaviors in these two clades. Experimental auditory physiology shows that butterflyfishes are primarily sensitive to stimuli associated with hydrodynamic particle accelerations of ≤500 Hz. In addition, the gas-filled swim bladder horns in Chaetodon are stimulated by sound pressure, which enhances and extends their auditory sensitivity to 1700–2000 Hz. The broadband spectrum of ambient noise present on coral reefs overlaps with the frequency characteristics of their sounds, thus both the close social affiliations common among butterflyfishes and the evolution of the swim bladder horns in Chaetodon facilitate their short-range acoustic communication. Butterflyfishes provide a unique and unexpected opportunity to carry out studies of fish bioacoustics in the lab and the field that integrate the study of sensory anatomy, physiology, evolution, and behavioral ecology.

  • The ears of butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): 'hearing generalists' on noisy coral reefs?
    Journal of fish biology, 2010
    Co-Authors: Jacqueline F. Webb, J. L. Herman, C. F. Woods, Darlene R. Ketten
    Abstract:

    Analysis of the morphology of all three otolithic organs (sacculus, lagena and utriculus), including macula shape, hair cell morphology, density, orientation pattern, otolith morphology and the spatial relationships of the swimbladder and ear, reveals that butterflyfishes in the genera Chaetodon (which has anterior swimbladder horns) and Forcipiger (which lacks anterior swimbladder horns) both demonstrate the ear morphology typical of teleosts that lack otophysic connections, fishes that have traditionally been considered to be ‘hearing generalists’.

  • the laterophysic connection and swim bladder of butterflyfishes in the genus Chaetodon perciformes Chaetodontidae
    Journal of Morphology, 2006
    Co-Authors: Jacqueline F. Webb, Darlene R. Ketten, Leo W Smith
    Abstract:

    The laterophysic connection (LC) is an association between bilaterally paired, anterior swim bladder extensions (horns) and medial openings in the supracleithral lateral line canals that diagnoses butterfly- fishes in the genus Chaetodon. It has been hypothesized that the LC makes the lateral line system sensitive to sound pressure stimuli that are transmitted by the swim bladder horns and converted to fluid flow into the lateral line system via a laterophysic tympanum. The purpose of this study was to define variation in the morphology of the LC, swim bladder and swim bladder horns among 41 Chaetodon species from all 11 Chaetodon subgenera and a species from each of four non-Chaetodon genera using gross dissection, histological analysis as well as 2D or 3D CT (computed tomographic) imaging of live, anesthetized fishes. Our results demonstrate that the lateral line sys- tem appears rather unspecialized with well-ossified nar- row canals in all species examined. Two LC types (direct and indirect), defined by whether or not the paired ante- rior swim bladder horns are in direct contact with a medial opening in the supracleithral lateral line canal, are found among species examined. Two variants on a direct LC and four variants of an indirect LC are defined by combinations of soft tissue anatomy (horn length (long/ short) and width (wide/narrow), number of swim bladder chambers (one/two), and presence/absence of mucoid con- nective tissue in the medial opening in the supracleith- rum). The combination of features defining each LC vari- ant is predicted to have functional consequences for the bioacoustics of the system. These findings are consistent with the recent discovery that Chaetodon produce sounds during social interactions. The data presented here pro- vide the comparative morphological context for the functional analysis of this novel swim bladder-lateral line connection. J. Morphol. 267:1338-1355, 2006. 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  • The physoclistous swim bladder of Chaetodontid butterflyfishes: Implications for acoustic function
    Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2006
    Co-Authors: Christopher Woods, Jacqueline F. Webb, Darlene R. Ketten
    Abstract:

    Butterflyfishes (genus Chaetodon) have a swim bladder lateral line connection (laterophysic connection, LC), hypothesized to convert sound‐induced oscillations of the swim bladder into fluid flow in the lateral line system and/or ear. Evaluation of LC function is dependent upon an understanding of swim bladder acoustics, which is a function of swim bladder anatomy. We used several anatomical methods (including CT) to describe swim bladder and tunica externa and tunica interna morphology (including gas gland/rete mirabile complex and the oval, responsible for gas secretion and resorption) in Chaetodon and Forcipiger. Swim bladder and tunica externa morphology differ between Chaetodon spp. with different LCs morphologies. A perforated transverse diaphragm divides the gas volume into two compartments. The gas gland/rete mirabile complex is in the ventral midline of the anterior compartment; it varies in morphology and is largest in species with a direct LC. The oval, defined by an extensive capillary network, occupies the entire tunica interna of the posterior compartment, so that diaphragm position determines oval size. These data raise questions about swim bladder structure‐function relationships with respect to the reception and transduction of acoustic stimuli in coral reef fishes. [Work supported by NSF Grant IBN‐0132607 to J.F.W.]

  • The laterophysic connection and swim bladder of butterflyfishes in the genus Chaetodon (Perciformes: Chaetodontidae).
    Journal of morphology, 2006
    Co-Authors: Jacqueline F. Webb, W. Leo Smith, Darlene R. Ketten
    Abstract:

    The laterophysic connection (LC) is an association between bilaterally paired, anterior swim bladder extensions (horns) and medial openings in the supracleithral lateral line canals that diagnoses butterflyfishes in the genus Chaetodon. It has been hypothesized that the LC makes the lateral line system sensitive to sound pressure stimuli that are transmitted by the swim bladder horns and converted to fluid flow into the lateral line system via a laterophysic tympanum. The purpose of this study was to define variation in the morphology of the LC, swim bladder and swim bladder horns among 41 Chaetodon species from all 11 Chaetodon subgenera and a species from each of four non-Chaetodon genera using gross dissection, histological analysis as well as 2D or 3D CT (computed tomographic) imaging of live, anesthetized fishes. Our results demonstrate that the lateral line system appears rather unspecialized with well-ossified narrow canals in all species examined. Two LC types (direct and indirect), defined by whether or not the paired anterior swim bladder horns are in direct contact with a medial opening in the supracleithral lateral line canal, are found among species examined. Two variants on a direct LC and four variants of an indirect LC are defined by combinations of soft tissue anatomy (horn length [long/short] and width [wide/narrow], number of swim bladder chambers [one/two], and presence/absence of mucoid connective tissue in the medial opening in the supracleithrum). The combination of features defining each LC variant is predicted to have functional consequences for the bioacoustics of the system. These findings are consistent with the recent discovery that Chaetodon produce sounds during social interactions. The data presented here provide the comparative morphological context for the functional analysis of this novel swim bladder-lateral line connection.

Berumen, Michael L. - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.