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The echo response inGnathonemus petersii (Mormyridae)

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Summary

  1. 1.

    Gnathonemus petersii respond to each other's electric organ discharge (EOD) with an “echo” discharge of their own at a latency of about 12 msec. This response persists until interfish distances reach about 30 cm (Fig. 4).

  2. 2.

    Artificial electrical stimuli were used to further characterize the response. Response threshold, latency dependence on stimulus intensity, polarity characteristics (Figs. 5–7), and differential regional sensitivity indicate that “medium” electroreceptors in the anterior region of the animal underlie the response.

  3. 3.

    Response probability depends upon the delay of the stimulus after the last EOD and also upon the instantaneous EOD rate (Figs. 8, 9). The echo response in turn resets the EOD rhythm of the responding animal (Fig. 10). These results suggest that the echo input pathway terminates on the presumed mesencephalic command center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, USA

    C. J. Russell, J. P. Myers & C. C. Bell

  2. Zoology Department, University of California, 97420, Berkeley, California, USA

    J. P. Myers

Authors
  1. C. J. Russell
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  2. J. P. Myers
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  3. C. C. Bell
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Additional information

This research was supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants NS06728 and NS02289, National Science Foundation GB37836, and the Gertrude Cammack Trust. We wish to thank Mr. Joel Bradbury for valuable technical assistance and Drs. Neal Barmack, Donald Rushmer and William Roberts for reading and commenting on the manuscript.

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Russell, C.J., Myers, J.P. & Bell, C.C. The echo response inGnathonemus petersii (Mormyridae). J. Comp. Physiol. 92, 181–200 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694505

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694505

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