Biosciences Department, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, Minnesota, USA.
Physics and Astronomy Department, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, Minnesota, USA.
J Fish Biol. 2022 Feb;100(2):543-548. doi: 10.1111/jfb.14965. Epub 2021 Dec 13.
Honey gouramis (Trichogaster chuna) received chemical alarm cues derived from conspecific epidermal tissue and, simultaneously, the vocalization produced by a heterospecific gourami species, the sparkling pygmy gourami (Trichopsis pumila). Control trials paired water with the vocalization. In trials that received alarm cues, honey gouramis significantly increased activity relative to control trials that received water, suggesting an attempt to flee and search for refuge. When the recording of the vocalization was later replayed to test fish without any additional chemical cue, fish that had previously experienced the alarm cue froze while those that had received water with the vocalization did not change their behaviour. These data indicate that honey gouramis recognize and respond to chemical alarm cues, making this report the second anabantoid species to be recorded with this response. Second, these data indicate that honey gouramis can associate risk of predation with a novel auditory stimulus, including vocalizations from other species. These data suggest the potential for vocalizations to evolve into alarm signals in this group of fishes.
蜜鲈（Trichogaster chuna）接收到来自同种鱼表皮组织的化学警报线索，同时还接收到来自异种鱼——闪光迷你鲈（Trichopsis pumila）的发声。对照实验中，鱼只接触的是水和发声记录。在接触警报线索的实验中，与接触水的对照实验相比，蜜鲈的活动明显增加，这表明它们试图逃离并寻找避难所。当后来重播发声记录以测试没有任何额外化学线索的鱼类时，那些之前曾接触过警报线索的鱼会冻结，而那些接触过水和发声的鱼则不会改变它们的行为。这些数据表明，蜜鲈可以识别和响应化学警报线索，这使得该报告成为第二种被记录到具有这种反应的攀鲈科鱼类。其次，这些数据表明，蜜鲈可以将被捕食的风险与一种新的听觉刺激（包括来自其他物种的发声）联系起来。这些数据表明，在这群鱼类中，发声可能演变成警报信号。
