[en] Abstract
Ostraciid boxfishes comprise two subfamilies: the Atlantic Lactophrysinae and the Pacific Ostraciinae. Although all species are reported to produce sounds, key acoustic and anatomical data remain missing, particularly for Atlantic taxa. This study compares the sound-producing mechanisms in both subfamilies and examines the anatomy of a representative from the sister family Aracanidae to infer the evolutionary history of acoustic communication. Atlantic species possess a novel structure, the sphaera sonica, composed of paired globular connective masses surrounded by fast-contracting sonic muscles with multidirectional fibres. Muscle contraction displaces these masses against the swim bladder fenestra, generating sound. In contrast, Pacific species lack this mass; their sonic muscles are divided into distinct extrinsic and intrinsic layers positioned around the fenestra. Aracanidae show no sonic system, but anterior body muscles might be homologous to those found in boxfishes. These observations suggest that the Lactophrysinae system represents a more ancestral configuration. The transition to the Ostraciinae condition involves reduction of the globular mass and increased muscular differentiation, probably enhancing control over bladder deformation and enabling more complex acoustic signalling. This study highlights how anatomical innovations in muscle arrangement have contributed to the diversification of acoustic mechanisms within the Ostraciidae.
Research Center/Unit :
FOCUS - Freshwater and OCeanic science Unit of reSearch - ULiège AFFISH-RC - Applied and Fundamental FISH Research Center - ULiège
Disciplines :
Zoology
Author, co-author :
Parmentier, Eric ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Morphologie fonctionnelle et évolutive
Eche, Louise ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Morphologie fonctionnelle et évolutive
Greeven, Céline; Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Morphology, Freshwater and Oceanic Science Unit of Research, University of Liège , Liège 4000,
Banse, Marine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Morphologie fonctionnelle et évolutive
Bertucci, Frédéric ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Morphologie fonctionnelle et évolutive ; UMR MARBEC, University of Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD , Sète 34200,
Thiry, Marc ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de la vie > Service collectif des enseignements de biologie en bachelier
Raick, Xavier ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Morphologie fonctionnelle et évolutive ; K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14850,
Donaldson, Terry J; University of Guam Marine Laboratory/Guam, EPSCoR, UOG Station , Mangilao, Guam 96921,
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