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Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 130, Issue 1 359-367, Copyright © 1987 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Electric fish approach stationary signal sources by following electric current lines

JH Schluger and CD Hopkins

African electric fish of a pulse species, Brienomyrus brachyistius (Mormyridae), housed singly in a large, circular arena, were presented with electrical stimuli which mimicked a conspecific intruder. Stimuli were produced with either dipolar or bipolar electrodes in three different geometries. We tracked the unconditioned approach response paths taken by the fish and compared tracks for each of the geometries. The results suggest that B. brachyistius can determine neither the distance nor the direction of an electric dipole from afar, but that they do manage to find the source by maintaining a precise alignment of their body axis parallel to the direction of the local electric field vector (parallel to current lines) while swimming. This behaviour ultimately leads to the current source. We propose that this behaviour may be a simple mechanism mediating the approach response of one electric fish to another.


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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1987