A Role of Olfaction in Schooling of Japanese Sea Catfish, Plotosus lineatus.

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We examined the role of olfaction involved in schooling of Japanese sea catfish <I>Plotosus lineatus</I>, and attempted to elucidate the relationship between the sensitivity to an aggregating pheromone and bodylength in reference to a reduction of the school size with growth in Japanese sea catfish. Behavioral test of preferenCe for sea water which had held their own school were carried out on 97 fish (42 to 235mm in total length), using filtrated sea water or sea water which had held another school as a control. The catfish discriminated and selected the sea water holding their own school. However, anosmic fish no longer discriminated their holding sea water, suggesting that this preference leading to a school was established by olfaction but not other sense organs including taste. No distinct change in the preference with fish growth was recognized. However, larger fish especially maturing females tended to show a lowered preference. This suggests that reduction in the constituent members of the school with growth in Japanese sea catfish was dependent upon breakaway from menace of predators or upon dispersal of maturing females from their school to avoid incest breeding.
日本魚類学会の論文