Papers by Eric Parmentier
Journal of Morphology, Jan 27, 2022
Within piranhas, different species are able to make sounds but not all of them rely on the same m... more Within piranhas, different species are able to make sounds but not all of them rely on the same mechanism. In all species, the sound-producing muscle originates on the second vertebra, but the insertion differs. Pygopristis denticulata can produce two kinds of pulsed sounds emitted in trains. Its sound production mechanism is mainly based on a muscle bundle that inserts between the two first ribs. In Catoprion mento, the anterior part of the sonic muscle inserts directly on the swim bladder. The most derived species (Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus) make all harmonic tonal sounds. Their sonic muscles constitute a single functional unit transversally surrounding the swim bladder. This study aims to study the ultrastructure of sonic muscles in nine species from these four genera. Epaxial muscles were compared with sonic muscles, and the sonic muscles of the different species were compared between them. Results confirmed ultrastructure modifications in the sonic muscles in comparison to epaxial muscles. Fibers of the sonic muscle are thinner and possess a thicker subsarcolemmal ring housing mitochondria. In sonic muscles, myofibrils are also proportionally less abundant, and their sarcomeres are longer and thinner. Some of these differences allows to separate basal species (e.g., Pygopristis denticulata) from more derived species (genera Pygocentrus and Serrasalmus) and should favour observed differences in the acoustic abilities.
Journal of comparative neurology, Nov 20, 2020
Mochokid catfish offer a distinct opportunity to study a communication system transitioning to a ... more Mochokid catfish offer a distinct opportunity to study a communication system transitioning to a new signaling channel because some produce sounds and others electric discharges. Both signals are generated using an elastic spring system (ESS), which includes a protractor muscle innervated by motoneurons within the protractor nucleus that also has a motoneuron afferent population. Synodontis grandiops and S. nigriventris produce sounds and electric discharges, respectively, and their ESSs show several morphological and physiological differences. The extent to which these differences explain different signal types remains unclear. Here, we compare ESS morphologies and behavioral phenotypes among five mochokids. Synodontis grandiops and S. nigriventris were compared with S. eupterus that is known to produce both signal types, and representative members of two sister genera, Microsynodontis cf. batesii and Mochokiella paynei, for which no data were available. We provide support for the hypothesis that peripheral and central components of the ESS are conserved among mochokids. We also show that the two non-synodontids are only sonic, consistent with sound production being an ancestral character for mochokids. Even though the three sound
Journal of Fish Biology, Jul 14, 2015
Although the sound production mechanisms of male and female Ophidion rochei (Ophidiidae) differ s... more Although the sound production mechanisms of male and female Ophidion rochei (Ophidiidae) differ significantly, temperature affects them in the same manner. In both sexes, temperature correlated negatively with pulse period and positively with sound frequencies but had no, or weak effects on other sound characteristics.
Journal of Mammalian Evolution, Jun 2, 2022
Marine Biology, Apr 17, 2023
Coral reefs encompass different habitats that have their own living communities. The present stud... more Coral reefs encompass different habitats that have their own living communities. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that these different kinds of habitats were characterized by specific soundscapes. Within the lagoon of Bora-Bora, acoustic recordings and visual surveys of substrate type and fish communities were conducted on four reef sites belonging to the three main geomorphological habitats (fringing reef, channel reef, barrier reef) from February to April 2021. Two acoustic parameters were measured for each site and month, during the day and at night: the peak frequency (F peak , in Hz) and the corresponding power spectral density (PSD peak , in dB re 1 µPa 2 Hz −1). Our results showed that each geomorphological unit could be characterized by these two parameters and therefore had a specific acoustic signature. Moreover, our study showed that a higher living coral cover was significantly positively correlated with F peak in the low-frequency band (50-2000 Hz) during daytime. Although biodiversity indices based on visual surveys did not differ significantly, fish communities and soundscapes were significantly different between sites. Overall, our study underlines the importance of passive acoustics in coral reef monitoring as soundscapes are habitat specific.
Journal of Fish Biology, Jul 16, 2015
Sound production by the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus was monitored both in captivity and ... more Sound production by the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus was monitored both in captivity and at two Mediterranean spawning sites during the summers of 2012 and 2013. The results of long-term passive acoustic recordings provide for the first time a description of the sounds produced by E. marginatus. Two types of sounds were mainly recorded and consisted of low-frequency booms that can be produced singly or in series with dominant frequencies below 100 Hz. Recordings in captivity validated these sounds as belonging to E. marginatus and suggested that they may be associated with reproductive displays usually performed during early stages of courtship behaviour. This study also allowed the identification of a third, low-frequency growl-like type of sound typically found in other grouper species. These growls were, however, not recorded in tanks and it is cautiously proposed that they are produced by E. marginatus. Acoustic signals attributed to E. marginatus were produced throughout the spawning season, with a diel pattern showing an increase before dusk, i.e. from 1900 to 2200 hours, before decreasing until the morning. The occurrence of sounds during the spawning season of this species suggests that they are probably involved in social activity occurring close to aggregation sites. Passive acoustics offer a helpful tool to monitor aggregation sites of this emblematic species in order to improve conservation efforts.
Serrasalmidae (98 species) is a large monophyletic group of South American freshwater fishes. The... more Serrasalmidae (98 species) is a large monophyletic group of South American freshwater fishes. They have different dietary preferences ranging from the predominantly herbivorous or frugivorous pacus to the omnivorous or primarily carnivorous piranhas. Flesh-eating piranhas are supposed to have proportionally the most powerful bite forces among vertebrates but it has never been compared with those of plant, fruit and seed-eating species. Moreover, the bite strategy has never been explored in this family: is there a difference between carnivorous piranhas and herbivorous relatives? In the present study, we used the adductor mandibulae muscle and the lower jaw as models to answer this questioning through morphometric methods. We found that flesh-eating piranhas have a more developed adductor mandibulae muscle than seed-eating species which in turn have a larger jaw muscle than plant-eating species. The dorsomedial section of the jaw muscle (pars malaris) is the most developed in carnivorous species whereas it is the ventrolateral section (pars rictalis) in herbivorous species. We also distinguish two characteristic shapes of lower jaw that are related to dietary preferences. Results suggest different bite strategies: flesh-eating species possess a "scissor-like" way of feeding whereas the plant, fruit and seed-eating species show "vise-like" system.Peer reviewe
Integrative and Comparative Biology, 1999
Materials and methods 27 O. fowleri specimens (TL : 57 to 90 mm) were collected in Hansa Bay (Bis... more Materials and methods 27 O. fowleri specimens (TL : 57 to 90 mm) were collected in Hansa Bay (Bismarck Sea) in Papua New Guinea. They were found in representatives of Pinctada margaritiferae (Linné, 1758) (Bivalvia, Pteriidae). The morphological data pertaining to E. dubius (TL : 90-120 mm) were compiled from specimens from the following institutions: AMNH, CAS, LACM, SIO and UF. The cephalic structures were alizarin-stained, dissected, examined, and drawn with the help of a coupled binocular (Wild M10). The stomach contents of 23 O. fowleri specimens were collected. Dr Castro-Aguirre and Garcia-Dominguez (CICIMAR, Mexico) realised the diet determination of 17 E. dubius specimens (TL: 91-108 mm) from Espiritu Santo Island (Gulf of California, Pacific Ocean). To compare the cephalic structures of the two species, we referred their neurocrania to a same reference length: the distance between the mesethmoid and the basioccipital.. Several species of the Carapidae (figure 1) are well known to have commensal or parasitic relationships with invertebrates (Trott 1970, Markle and Olney 1990). Carapus acus (Brunnich, 1768), Encheliophis boraborensis (Kaup, 1856), and Encheliophis homei (Richardson, 1844) display carnivorous traits, enabling them to ingest hard prey: the buccal parts are robust, the dentition is well developed, the mouth opens widely, and the premaxillaries can project slightly frontwards. (Parmentier et al. 1998). The three species of the genus Onuxodon and the species Encheliophis dubius (Putnam, 1874) are the only Carapidae species known to live principally in bivalves (figure 2), between the mantle and the shell. In this study the diets, cephalic skeletons, and musculatures of O. fowleri (Smith, 1955) and E. dubius (Putnam, 1874) are compared with each other. The aim is to compare the cephalic morphology of both species to see how it responds to the demands of their particular way of life (bivalve host and diet).
Contraction of the dorsal muscle Rocker bone Articulation of the 1 st neural spine + epineural on... more Contraction of the dorsal muscle Rocker bone Articulation of the 1 st neural spine + epineural on the 1st vertebra Ligament Left lateral views of the sound producing mechanism in males Ophidion rochei.
Belgian Journal of Zoology, Jul 1, 2002
also original : the 5th ceratobranchials can be fused together to form a single lower jaw with a ... more also original : the 5th ceratobranchials can be fused together to form a single lower jaw with a large bony wing ventrally for insertion of fibres from the sternohyoid muscles (ROSEN, 1964), and the upper pharyngeal jaws consist of independent second pharyngobranchials and often fused third pharyngobranchials (ROSEN & PARENTI, 1981). Data on the bucco-pharyngeal system, presented by ROSEN (1964), ALEXANDER (1967b), and ROSEN & PARENTI (1981), are not complete enough to explain several functional originalities. The aim of the present work was to complement the existing knowledge of bucco-pharyngeal morphology in hemiramphids with a study of this system in Zenarchopterus kampeni (Weber, 1913) (species determination according to ALLEN, 1991). MATERIAL AND METHODS The Z. kampeni specimens came from the little estuaries opening into Hansa Bay, north of Papua New Guinea. Observation of the skeleton and musculature was done on 20 specimens (total length between 16 and 18 cm) that had either been preserved in 70% alcohol (15) or frozen (5). Seven specimens were trypsin-cleared and stained with alizarin according to TAYLOR & VAN DIJK (1985) in order to observe certain bony structures in greater detail.
Authorea (Authorea), May 16, 2023
The Neretva dwarf goby Orsinigobius croaticus (Gobiiformes, Gobionellidae) is an endemic fish nat... more The Neretva dwarf goby Orsinigobius croaticus (Gobiiformes, Gobionellidae) is an endemic fish native to the freshwaters of the Adriatic Basin in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to its limited distribution range, specific karst habitat and endangered status, laboratory studies on reproductive biology are scarce. We investigated the sound production and acoustic behaviour of this species during reproductive intersexual laboratory encounters. We performed dissection and micro-computed tomography (μCT) scanning of the pectoral girdle to explore the anatomy of its putative sound producing mechanism. To study interspecific acoustic differences and determine whether acoustic features can discriminate among species, comparative analysis was conducted on sounds produced by closely related soniferous sand gobies. Our results indicate that males of the O. croaticus emit pulsatile sounds composed of a variable number of short (~ 15 ms) consecutive pulses when interacting with females, usually during the pre-spawning phase in the nest, but also during courtship outside the nest. Pulsatile sounds were low-frequency and short pulse trains (~ 140 Hz, &lt; 1000 ms), and spectro-temporal parameters were correlated with physical traits and water temperature. Male visual behaviour rate was higher when co-occurring with sounds and females entered the male’s nest significantly more frequently when sounds were present. Male sound production was accompanied by movements such as head thrust and fin spreading. μCT scans and dissections suggest that O. croaticus shares certain anatomical similarities of the pectoral girdle (osseous elements and arrangement of levator pectoralis muscles) to previously studied sand gobies. Multivariate comparisons, using sounds produced by eight soniferous European sand gobies, effectively distinguished soniferous (and sympatric) species based on acoustic properties. Discrimination success decreased when temperature-dependent features (sound duration and pulse repetition rate) were excluded from analysis. Therefore, we suggest both spectral and temporal features are important for acoustic differentiation of sand gobies.
Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) are prolific callers which emit sounds in different behaviors. In th... more Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) are prolific callers which emit sounds in different behaviors. In the yellowtail damselfish Dascyllus flavicaudus, six behaviors are known to be related to six types of sounds. Generally speaking, these sounds are mainly involved in courtship (signal jump and visiting-mating) and agonistic behaviors (hetero-and conspecific fighting, and hetero-and conspecific chasing). However, temporal variability of sound production has never been explored in this species. In this context, the present study aimed to identify the periods of acoustic activity in this species. Recordings of sound production by Dascyllus flavicaudus were made from January to March 2009 in Moorea lagoon (French Polynesia). Hydrophone was associated to an IT program allowing the searchers to plane the recording time slot and is used to study periodicity of sound production. A recording slot of 15 min each hour are chosen to describe the daily and lunar variations. Dascyllus flavicaudus produces sounds mostly during the day and shows the highest rate of production at dusk (Fig. I). On the basis of the six behaviors associated to sound production in this species, this peak was associated to reproduction.
Hormones and Behavior, Jun 1, 2022
Le muscle sonique ventral s'insère sur le basioccipital et sur le rocker bone. Sa contraction ent... more Le muscle sonique ventral s'insère sur le basioccipital et sur le rocker bone. Sa contraction entraîne le basculement vers l'avant du rocker bone et la déformation de la paroi de la vessie natatoire qui se plie vers l'intérieur.
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Papers by Eric Parmentier