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Small benthic fish strike at prey over distances that fall within theoretical predictions for active sensing using
Niklas Neiße1, Matteo Santon1, Pierre-Paul Bitton1,2
1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Animal Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Journal of Fish Biology
|January 15, 2021
Summary
Small fish use light to find prey. New research measured how close fish get to prey before striking, finding they likely use light for the final strike decision, not initial detection.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Animal behavior
- Sensory ecology
Background:
- Small benthic fishes are micropredators feeding on tiny crustaceans.
- The yellow black-headed triplefin (Tripterygion delaisi) can redirect sunlight to illuminate prey.
- This light-based sensing is termed diurnal active photolocation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically validate visual modeling of diurnal active photolocation in T. delaisi.
- To quantify prey interaction distances for free-ranging small benthic fishes.
- To determine the role of light redirection in prey detection and striking.
Main Methods:
- Recorded videos of T. delaisi approaching and striking prey in their natural habitat.
- Quantified prey approaching distances and striking distances from 160 recordings.
- Analyzed the relationship between fish body size and interaction distances.
Main Results:
- Quantified 78 prey approaching distances (2.1–4.1 cm IQR) and 100 striking distances (0.7–1.6 cm IQR).
- Both approaching and striking distances increased with fish body size.
- Approaching distances were generally too large for light-based detection alone.
Conclusions:
- Diurnal active photolocation may not explain initial prey detection in T. delaisi.
- Striking distances align with predictions for light-assisted prey targeting.
- Light redirection likely plays a role in the final decision to strike.
