Damselfish pick-up lines could have regional accents

Courtship calls among two species of fish commonly found on Australian coral reefs have been described, and researchers say their "accents" can vary significantly between regions. Scientists led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the Center for Marine Science and Technology (CMST) at Curtin University combined audio and visual tools to study two closely related Damselfish species—Dascyllus aruanus and Dascyllus reticulatus—finding they each produce distinct courtship pulse sounds. Characterizing variation in fish sounds associated with reproduction improves scientists' ability to detect species remotely and, in some cases, measure spawning success.