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The reproductive behavior of Economidichthys pygmaeus: secondary loss of sound production within the sand goby group?

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Abstract

In this study, the reproductive behavior of Economidichthys pygmaeus was investigated under laboratory conditions with simultaneous video and acoustic recordings. Males of the freshwater goby E. pygmaeus do not produce sounds either during the courtship/spawning phase or during aggressive interactions. A detailed analysis of the behavioral sequences revealed the absence of any digging and nest-building activities, whereas the other behavioral components of courtship and spawning are similar to those described for other goby species, showing also a similar function. Results were discussed in terms of secondary loss of sound production within the sand gobies, a group of highly soniferous fishes in the family Gobiidae.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Ingrid Kaatz for the linguistic improvement of the text and her valuable comments on the manuscript. We also want to thank Marco Lugli for suggestions related to the acoustical recordings.

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Correspondence to Ioannis D. Leonardos.

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Gkenas, C., Malavasi, S., Georgalas, V. et al. The reproductive behavior of Economidichthys pygmaeus: secondary loss of sound production within the sand goby group?. Environ Biol Fish 87, 299–307 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-010-9597-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-010-9597-x

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