Abstract
Pitch discrimination in fish is well established although the number of behavioral studies concerned with the topic is fairly limited. Table 12-1 lists some species investigated and the results obtained, including the value for Cottus scorpius which will be reported here. In such studies it is important to be aware of the complicated and unpredictable acoustics of small tanks (Parvulescu 1967). For example, when changing the frequency of the sound producing equipment, great fluctuations in sound pressure and particle displacement amplitude will occur as well. Moreover, the relation between sound pressure and particle displacement is not predictable, as it would be in a large body of water, like the open sea. It is generally agreed that particle displacement is the relevant stimulus for the auditory receptor cells. For a fish with a swimbladder, sound pressure is a relevant stimulus as well, since the swimbladder is then acting as a pressure to displacement transformer. This secondary displacement will be transmitted through the surrounding tissues to the inner ear, there stimulating the sensory hair cells. In the ostariophysine species, all of which have a bony connection between the swimbladder and the inner ear, the sense of hearing is particularly good. In nonostariophysine species there seems to be a relation between threshold and hearing range on the one hand, and the anatomical configuration of the peripheral auditory system and the swimbladder on the other (Coombs and Popper 1979).
The scanning electron microscope work in this study has been done at the Electronmicroscopical Unit for the Biological Sciences.
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Enger, P.S. (1981). Frequency Discrimination in Teleosts—Central or Peripheral?. In: Tavolga, W.N., Popper, A.N., Fay, R.R. (eds) Hearing and Sound Communication in Fishes. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7186-5_12
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