Electrifying Love: Electric Fish Use Species-specific Discharge For Mate Recognition

Main Category: Veterinary
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 26 Nov 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Finding the right partner can be a challenging task in a turbid river like the Congo.

But African weakly electric fish meet this challenge by using their unique ability to produce electric signals for mate recognition. Females of these weakly electric fish are attracted to the electric signals of males of the same species.

The ability of females to locate males of the same species ensures that they do not mate with fish of the other species. This helps to maintain the barriers between different species and it may have played a crucial role during speciation.

Royal Society Journal Biology Letters

Biology Letters publishes short, innovative and cutting-edge research articles and opinion pieces accessible to scientists from across the biological sciences. The journal is characterised by stringent peer-review, rapid publication and broad dissemination of succinct high-quality research communications.

Biology Letters