Fishes have a variety of peripheral mechanisms for sound production. These can be categorized as: (i) hydrodynamic mechanisms related to swimming; (ii) stridulatory mechanisms in which portions of the body strike against each other; and (iii) swim bladder mechanisms which produce sounds by contraction of muscles which alter swim bladder volume. The sounds produced by hydrodynamic and stridulalory methods usually consist of broad-band noise while swim Madder sounds generally contain a fundamental frequency which is related to the rate of muscle contraction. Harmonics can be present in swim bladder sounds, but they may be a function primarily of the environment rather than the sound-producing mechanism. The precise role of the swim bladder is not clear although it probably acts as a broadly tuned sound amplifier. In this regard, the contribution of the swim bladder as a vibrating sphere is discussed. The central mechanisms controlling sound production in fishes are best understood in toadfish of the genus Opsanus. As a synthesis of the findings in this field, a model of the neurological control of toadfish sound production is presented. Neuromuscular, central motor, and central integrative mechanisms are discussed.
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Demski et al. (1973) studied this question.